alem epitomised.“25.” Ah, Ha; Tumulus, Thalamus two Counter- Poems the first an Elegy on Edward late earl of Dorset: the second an Epithalamium to the Marquis of Dor
Hoelianae,“or the letters of James History of Poetry, vol. IV. p. 54.
Howell, a great traveller, an intimate
Hi 1660, with several additions. 24.
” History of the
Wars of Jerusalem epitomised.“25.
” Ah, Ha; Tumulus, Thalamus two Counter- Poems the first an Elegy
on Edward late earl of Dorset: the second an Epithalamium to the Marquis of Dorchester,“1653. 26.
” The
German Diet: or Balance of Europe, &c.“1653, folio,
with the author’s portrait, at whole length. 27.
” Parthenopeia: or, the History of Naples, &c.“1654. 28.
” Londinopolis,“1657: a short discourse, says Wood, mostly
taken from Stowe’s
” Survey of London,“but a work
which in onr time bears a high price, and is worth consulting, as containing particulars of the manners of Loodon in his days. 29.
” Discourse of the Empire, and of
the Election of the King of the Romans,“1658. 3O.
” Lexicon Tetraglotton an English-French-Italian-Spanish Dictionary, &c.“1660, 31.
” A Cordial for the Cavaliers,“1661. Answered immediately by sir Roger L'Estrange, in a book entitled
” A Caveat for the Cavaliers:“replied to by Mr. Howell, in the next article, 32.
” Some
sober Inspections made into those ingredients that went
to the composition of a late Cordial for the Cavaliers,“1661. 33.
” A French Grammar, &c.“34.
” The Parley of Beasts, &c.“1660. 35.
” The second Part of casual
Discourses and Interlocutions between Patricius and Peregrin, &c.“1661. 36.
” Twelve Treatises of the hite
Revolutions,“1661. 37.
” New English Grammar ifor
Foreigners to learn English: with a Grammar for the Spanish and Castilian Tongue, with special Remarks on the
Portuguese Dialect, for the service of her Majesty,“1662.
38.
” Discourse concerning the Precedency of Kings,"
. He met, sometimes, however, with generous patronage. When employed on his edition of Josephus, the earl of Caernarvon (afterwards duke of Chandos) hearing of his merit
Dr. Hudson intended, if he had lived, to publish a catalogue of the Bodleian library, which he had caused to
be fairly transcribed in 6 vols. folio. He was an able
assistant to several editors in Oxford, particularly to Dr.
Gregory in his “Euclid,
” and to the industrious Mr. Hearne
in his “Livy,
” &c. He corresponded with many learned
men in foreign countries; with Muratori, Salvini, and
Bianchini, in Italy; with Boivin, Kuster, and Lequien, in
France; with Olearius, Menckenius, Christopher Woifius,
and, whom he chiefly esteemed, John Albert Fabricius, in
Germany; Eric Benzel, in Sweden; Frederic Rostgard,
in Denmark; with Pezron, Reland, Le Clerc, in Holland,
&c. He used to complain of the vast expence of foreign
letters; for he was far from being rich, never having been
possessed of any ecclesiastical preferment; of which he
used also to make frequent and not unjust complaints. He
met, sometimes, however, with generous patronage. When
employed on his edition of Josephus, the earl of Caernarvon (afterwards duke of Chandos) hearing of his merit and
the expensive nature of his undertaking, sent him a present of two hundred guineas, which Dr. Hudson handsomely acknowledges in the dedication to the earl’s son,
lord Wilton, of his edition of Esop’s Fables. On his decease, several sets of his Josephus were disposed of by his
widow, at twelve shillings per set, a work which now
ranks in the very first class of Variorum editions in folio.
Dr. Hudson had been long conversant with Josephus, had
revised sir Roger L'Estrange’s translation, and added some
critical notes. He also digested and finished Dr. Willis’s
two discourses prefixed to that work. Hearne was a kind
of pupil to Dr. Hudson, and directed by him in his critical
studies.
pe, Southerne, Rowe, and others, but also to some men of rank in the kingdom, and among these to the earl of Wharton, who offered to carry him over, and to provide for
His numerous performances, for he had all along employed his leisure hours in translations and imitations from
the ancients, had by this time introduced him, not only to
the wits of the age, Addison , Congreve, Pope, Southerne,
Rowe, and others, but also to some men of rank in the
kingdom, and among these to the earl of Wharton, who
offered to carry him over, and to provide for him, when
appointed lord-lieutenant of Ireland; but, having other
other views at home, he declined the offer. His views,
however, were not very promising, until in 1717 the lord
chancellor Cowper made him secretary to the commissions
of the peace; in which he afterwards, by a particular
request, desired his successor, lord Parker, to continue him.
He had now affluence; but such is human life, that he had
it when his declining health could neither allow him long
possession nor full enjoyment. His last work was his
tragedy, “The Siege of Damascus;
” after which a Siege
became a popular title. This play was long popular, and
is still occasionally produced; but is not acted or printed
according to the author’s original draught, or his settled
intention. He had made Phocyas apostatize from his
religion; after which the abhorrence of Eudocia would
have been reasonable, his misery would have been just,
and the horrors of his repentance exemplary. The players,
however, required that the guilt of Phocyas should terminate in desertion to the enemy; and Hughes, unwilling
that his relations should lose the benefit of his work, complied with the alteration. He was now weak with a lingering consumption, and not able to attend the rehearsal;
yet was so vigorous in his faculties, that only ten days
before his death he wrote the dedication to his patron lord
Cowper. On Feb. 17, 1720, the play was represented,
and the author died. He lived ta hear that it was well
received; but paid no regard to the intelligence, being
then wholly employed in the meditations of a departing
Christian.
in Scotland, and born at Edinburgh April 26, 1711. His father was a descendant of the family of the earl of Hume or Home, and his mother, whose name was Falconer, was
, a celebrated philosopher and historian, was descended from a good family in Scotland, and
born at Edinburgh April 26, 1711. His father was a descendant of the family of the earl of Hume or Home, and
his mother, whose name was Falconer, was descended from
that of lord Halkerton, whose title came by succession to
her brother. This double alliance with nobility was a
source of great self-complacency to Hume, who was a philosopher only in his writings. In his infancy he does not
appear to have been impressed with those sentiments of
religion, which parents so generally, we may almost add
universally, at the time of his birth, thought it their duty
to inculcate. He once owned that he had never read the
New Testament with attention. However this may be, as
he was a younger brother with a very slender patrimony,
and of a studious, sober, industrious turn, he was destined
by his family to the law: but, being seized with an early
passion for letters, he found an insurmountable aversion
to any thing else; and, as he relates, while they fancied
him to be poring upon Voet and Vinnius, he was occupied with Cicero and Virgil. His fortune, however, being
very small, and his health a little broken by ardent application to books, he was tempted, or rather forced, to make
a feeble trial at business; and, in 1734, went to Bristol,
with recommendations to some eminent merchants: but, in
a few months, found that scene totally unfit for him. He
seems, also, to have conceived some personal disgust against
the men of business in that place: for, though he was by
no means addicted to satire, yet we can scarcely interpret
him otherwise than ironically, when, speaking in his History (anno 1660) of James Naylor’s entrance into Bristol
upon a horse, in imitation of Christ, he presumes it to be
“from the difficulty in that place of finding an ass
”
o spend the rest of his life in a philosophical manner, he received, in 1763, an invitation from the earl of Hertford to attend him on his embassy to Paris; which at
Being now about fifty, he retired to Scotland, determined never more to set his foot out of it; and carried
with him “the satisfaction of never having preferred a
request to one great man, or even making advances of
friendship to any of them.
” But, while meditating to
spend the rest of his life in a philosophical manner, he
received, in 1763, an invitation from the earl of Hertford
to attend him on his embassy to Paris; which at length he
accepted, and was left there charg6 d'affaires in the summer of 1765. In Paris, where his peculiar philosophical
opinions were then the mode, he met with the most flattering and unbounded attentions. He was panegyrized by
the literati, courted by the ladies, and complimented by
grandees, and even princes of the blood. In the beginning of 1766 he quitted Paris; and in the summer of that
year went to Edinburgh, with the same view as before, of
burying himself in a philosophical retreat; but, in 1767,
he received from Mr. Con way a new invitation to be
under-secretary of state, which, like the former, he did
not think it expedient to decline. He returned to Edinburgh in 1769, “very opulent,
” he says, “for he possessed a revenue of lOOOl. a year, healthy, and, though
somewhat stricken in years, with the prospect of enjoying
long his ease.
” In the spring of 1775, he was struck with
a disorder in his bowels; which, though it gave him no
alarm at first, proved incurable, and at length mortal. It
appears, however, that it was not painful, nor even troublesome or fatiguing: for he declares, that “notwithstanding
the great decline of his person, he had never suffered a
moment’s abatement. of his spirits; that he possessed the
same ardour as ever in study, and the same gaiety in company: insomuch,
” says he, “that, were I to name a period of my life which I should most choose to pass over
again, I might be tempted to point to this latter period.
”
He died August 25, 1776; and his account of his own life,
from which we have borrowed many of the above particulars, is dated only four mjonths previous to -hi* decease.
As the author was then aware of the impossibility of a recovery, this may he considered as the testimony of a dying
man respecting his own character and conduct. But it
disappointed those who expected to find in it some acknowledgment of error, and some remorse on reflecting on
the many whom he had led astray by his writings. Hume,
however, was not the man from whom this was to be expected. He had no religious principles which he had violated, and which his conscience might now recall. He
had none of the stamina of repentance. From a mere fondness for speculation, or a love of philosophical applause,
the least harmful motives we can attribute to Hume, it was
the business of his life, not only to extirpate from the
human mind all that the good and wise among mankind
have concurred in venerating, the authority and obligations
of revealed religion; but he treats that authority and the
believers in, and defenders of revealed religion, with a
contempt bordering on abhorrence; or, as has been said
of another modern infidel, “as if he had been revenging a
personal injury.
” Hume early imbibed the principles of a
gloomy philosophy, the direct tendency of which was to
distract the mind with doubts on subjects the most serious
and important, and, in fact, to undermine the best interests, and dissolve the strongest ties of society. Such is
the character of Hume’s philosophy, by one who knew him
as intimately as Dr. Smith , who respected his talents and
his manners, but would have disdained to insult wisdom
and virtue by bestowing the perfection of them on the
studies, the conversation, and the correspondence that were
constantly employed in ridiculing religion. Another reason, perhaps, why Hume died in the same state of mind
in which he had lived, gibing and jesting, as Dr. Smith
informs us, with the prospect of eternity, may be this,
that he was at the last surrounded by men who, being of
nearly the same way of thinking, contemplated his end
with a degree of satisfaction or as the triumph of philosophy over what he and they deemed superstition. Even
his clerical friends, the Blairs and Robertsons, who professed to know, to feel, aud to teach what Christianity is,
appear to have withheld the solemn duties of their office,
and by their silence at least, acquiesced in his obduracy.
His social qualities, his wit, his acuteness, and we may
add, his fame, preserved to him the regard of his learned
countrymen, who forgot the infidel in the historian.
not meet with the reception it deserved. In a conversation on this subject soon afterwards with the earl of Shelburne, his lordship expressed a wish that the plan might
We must now go back a little in the order of time, to describe the origin and progress of Dr. Hunter’s Museum, without some account of which these memoirs would be very incomplete. When he began to practise midwifery, he was desirous of acquiring a fortune sufficient to place him in easy and independent circumstances. Before many years had elapsed, he found himself in possession of a sum adequate to his wishes iii this respect; and this he set apart as a resource of which he might avail himself whenever age or infirmities should oblige him to retire from business. He has been heard to say, that he once took a considerable sum from this fund for the purposes of his museum, but that he did not feel himself perfectly at ease till he had restored it again. After he had obtained this competency, as his wealth continued to accumulate, he formed a laudable design of engaging in some scheme of public utility, and at first had it in contemplation to found an anatomical school in this metropolis. For this purpose, about 1765, during the administration of Mr. Grenville, he presented a memorial to that minister, in which he requested the grant of a piece of ground in the Mews for the site of an anatomical theatre. Dr. Hunter undertook to expend 7000l. on the building, and to endow a professorship of anatomy in perpetuity. This scheme did not meet with the reception it deserved. In a conversation on this subject soon afterwards with the earl of Shelburne, his lordship expressed a wish that the plan might be carried into execution by subscription, and very generously requested to have his name set down for 1000 guineas. Dr. Hunter’s delicacy would not allow him to adopt this proposal. He chose rather to execute it at his own expence, and accordingly purchased a spot of ground in Great Windmill-street, where he erected a spacious house, to which he removed from Jermyn-street in 1770. In this building, besides a handsome amphitheatre and other convenient apartments for his lectures and dissections, there was one magnificent room, fitted up with great elegance and propriety as a museum.
hat the “Letter on Enthusiasm” had been ascribed to Swift, as it has still more commonly been to the earl of Shaftesbury. In 1710 he was appointed governor of New York,
, author of the celebrated
“Letter on Enthusiasm,
” and, if Coxeter be right in his
ms conjecture in his title-page of the only copy extant,
of a farce called “Androboros.
” He was appointed lieutenant-governor of Virginia in 1708, but was taken by the
French in his voyage thither. Two excellent letters, addressed to colonel Hunter while a prisoner at Paris, which
reflect equal honour on Hunter and Swift, are printed in
the 12th volume of the Dean’s works, by one of which it
appears, that the “Letter on Enthusiasm
” had been
ascribed to Swift, as it has still more commonly been to
the earl of Shaftesbury. In 1710 he was appointed governor of New York, and sent with 2700 Palatines to settle
there. From Mr. Cough’s “History of Croyland Abbey,
”
we learn, that Mr. Hunter was a major-general, and that,
during his government of New-York, he was directed by
her majesty to provide subsistence for about 3000 Palatine?
(the number stated in the alienating act) sent from Great
Britain to be employed in raising and manufacturing naval
stores; and by an account stated in 1734, it appears that
the governor had disbursed 20,000l. and upwards in that
undertaking, no part of which was ever repaid. He returned to England in 1719; and on the accession of
George II. was continued governor of New York and the
Jerseys. On account of his health he obtained the government of Jamaica, where he arrived in February 1728;
died March 31, 1734; and was buried in that island.
marked, the production of Dr. Green: Mr. Hurd, however, wrote “The opinion of an eminent lawyer (the earl of Hardwicke) concerning the right of appeal from the vice-chancellor
In May 1750, by Warburton’s recommendation to
Dr. Sherlock, bishop of London, Mr. Kurd was appointed
one of the Whitehall preachers. At this period the university of Cambridge was disturbed by internal divisions,
occasioned by an exercise of discipline against some of its
members, who had been wanting in respect to those who
were entrusted with its authority. A punishment having been inflicted on some delinquents, they refused
to submit to it, and appealed from the vice-chancellor’s
jurisdiction. The right of the university, and those to
whom their power was delegated, becoming by this means
the subject of debate, several pamphlets appeared, and
among others who signalised themselves upon this occasion,
Mr. Kurd was generally supposed to have written “The
Academic, or, a disputation on the state of the university
of Cambridge, and the propriety of the regulations made
in it on the 1 Ith day of May and the 26th day of June
1750, 8vo
” but this was, as we have already remarked, the
production of Dr. Green: Mr. Hurd, however, wrote
“The opinion of an eminent lawyer (the earl of Hardwicke)
concerning the right of appeal from the vice-chancellor of
Cambridge to the senate; supported by a short historical
account of the jurisdiction of the university; in answer
to a late pamphlet, intituled * An Inquiry into the right
of appeal from the vice-chancellor, &c.' By a fellow of a
college,
” A Letter to the
Author of a Further Inquiry,
”
had the sine-cure rectory of Folkton, near Bridlington, Yorkshire, given him by the lord chancellor ( earl of Northington), on the recommendation of Mr. Allen of Prior-Park
With this apology, we return to his well-earned promotions. In 1762, he had the sine-cure rectory of Folkton,
near Bridlington, Yorkshire, given him by the lord chancellor (earl of Northington), on the recommendation of
Mr. Allen of Prior-Park and in 1765, on the recommendation of bishop Warburton and Mr. Charles Yorke, he
was chosen preacher of Lincoln’s-inn; and was collated to
the archdeaconry of Gloucester, on the death of Dr.
Geekie, by bishop Warburton, in August 1767. On Commencement Sunday, July 5, 1768, he was admitted D. D.
at Cambridge; and on the same day was appointed to
open the lecture founded by his friend bishop Warburton,
for the illustration of the prophecies, in which he exhibited
a model worthy of the imitation of his successors. His
“Twelve Discourses
” on that occasion, which had been
delivered before the most polite and crowded audiences
that ever frequented the chapel, were published in 1772,
under the title of “An Introduction to the Study of the
Prophecies concerning the Christian Church, and in particular concerning the Church of Papal Rome;
” and raised
his character as a divine, learned and ingenious, to an eminence almost equal to that which he possessed as a man of
letters; but his notion of a double sense in prophecy, which
he in general supposes, has not passed without animadversion. This volume produced a private letter to the author
from Gibbon the historian, under a fictitious name, respecting the book of Daniel, which Dr. Hurd answered;
and the editor of Gibbon’s Miscellaneous Works having
printed the answer, Dr. Hurd thought proper to include
both in the edition of his works published since his death
(in 1811). It was not, however, until the appearance of
Gibbon’s “Miscellaneous Works,
” that he discovered the
real name of his correspondent.
1784 he went to Stanmer in Sussex, where he resided for some considerable time as tutor to the late earl of Chichester’s youngest son, the hon. George Pelham, now bishop
In 1780 he was entered a commoner of St. Mary-hall,
Oxford; and at the election in 1782, was chosen a demy
of St. Mary Magdalen college. Here his studies, which
were close and uninterrupted, were encouraged, and his
amiable character highly respected, by Dr. Home, president of Magdalen, and his successor Dr. Routh, by Dr.
Sheppard, Dr. Rathbone, and others. About 1784 he went
to Stanmer in Sussex, where he resided for some considerable time as tutor to the late earl of Chichester’s youngest
son, the hon. George Pelham, now bishop of Exeter. In
May 1785, having taken his bachelor’s degree, he retired
to the curacy of Burwash in Sussex, which he held for six
years, but in the interim, in 1786, was elected probationer
fellow of Magdalen, and the following year took his master’s degree. Finding himself now sufficiently enabled to
assist his mother in the support of her family, he hired a
small house, and took three of his sisters to reside with
him. In 1788, he first appeared before the public as a
poet, in “The Village Curate,
” the reception of which
far exceeded his expectations, a second edition being
called for the following year. This poem, although perhaps not highly finished, contained so many passages of
genuine poetry, and evinced so much elegance, taste, and
sense, as to pass through the ordeal of criticism with great
applause, and to be considered as the earnest of future
and superior excellence. Such encouragement induced
the author to publish in 1790, his “Adriano, or the first of
June,
” which was followed in a short time by his “Panthea,
”
“Elmer and Ophelia,
” and the “Orphan Twins,
” all which
were allowed to confirm the expectations of the public,
and place the author in an enviable rank among living
poets. These were followed by two publications, connected with his profession; “A short critical Disquisition ou
the true Meaning of the word tO*OiJin, found in Gen. i. 21,
1790,
” and “Select critical Remarks upon the English
version of the first ten chapters of Genesis.
” In Sir Thomas More,
” a poem of
considerable merit, but not intended for the stage. In
1792, he was deprived by death of his favourite sister Catherine, whose elegant mind he frequently pourtrayed in
his works, under the different appellations of Margaret and
Isabel. On this affliction he quitted his curacy, and returned with his two sisters to Bishopstone. Here the
trouble of his mind was considerably alleviated by an
affectionate invitation from his much- esteemed friend Mr. Hayley to visit Eartham, where he had the pleasing satisfaction
of becoming personally known to Cowper, the celebrated
poet, with whom he had maintained a confidential correspondence for some years.
nineteen, he went to be steward to Mr. Rathurst of Skutterskelf in Yorkshire, and from thence to the earl of Scarborough, who would gladly have engaged him in his service;
, an English autnor, whose writings have been much discussed, and who is considered as
the founder of a party, if not of a sect, was born at Spenny thorn in Yorkshire in 1674. His father was possessed of
about 40l. per ann. and determined to qualify his son for a
stewardship to some gentleman or nobleman. He had
given him such school- learning as the place afforded-, and
the remaining part of his education was finished by a gentleman that boarded with his father. This friend is said to
have instructed him, not only in such parts of the mathematics as were more immediately connected with his
destined employment, but in every branch of that science,
and at the same time to have furnished him with a competent knowledge of the writings of antiquity. At the age of
nineteen, he went to be steward to Mr. Rathurst of Skutterskelf in Yorkshire, and from thence to the earl of Scarborough, who would gladly have engaged him in his service; but his ambition to serve the duke of Somerset would
not suffer him to continue there, and accordingly he removed soon after into this nobleman’s service. About 1700
he was called to London, to manage a law-suit of consequence between the duke and another nobleman; and
during his attendance in town, contracted an acquaintance
with Dr. Woodward, who was physician to the duke his
master. Between 1702 and 1706, his business carried him
into several parts of England and Wales, where he made
many observations, which he published in a little pamphlet,
entitled, “Observations made by J. H. mostly in the year
1706.
”
, earl of Clarendon, and chancellor of England, was descended from
, earl of Clarendon, and chancellor of
England, was descended from an ancient family in Cheshire, and born at Dinton in Wiltshire, Feb. 16, 1608. In
1622, he was entered of Magdalen-hall in Oxford, and ir
1625, took the degree of bachelor in arts but failing of a
fellowship in Exeter college, for which he stood, he removed to the Middle Temple, where he studied the law
for several years with diligence and success. When tha
lawyers resolved to give a public testimony of their dissent
from the new doctrine advanced in Prynne’s “Histriomastix,
” in which was shewn an utter disregard of all manner of decency and respect to the crown, Hyde and Whitelocke were appointed the managers of the masque presented on that occasion to their majesties at Whitehall on
Candlemas-day, 1633-4. At the same time he testified,
upon all occasions, his utter dislike to that excess of power,
which was then exercised by the court, and supported by
the judges in Westminster-hall. He condemned the oppressive proceedings of the high-commission court, the
star-chamber, the council-board, the earl-marshal’s court,
or court of honour, and the court of York. This just way
of thinking is said to have been formed in him by a domestic accident, which Burnet relates in the following
manner: “When he first began,
” says that historian, “to
grow eminent in his profession of the law, he went down to
visit his father in Wiltshire; who one day, as they were
walking in the fields together, observed to him, that ‘ men
of his profession were apt to stretch the prerogative too
far, and injure liberty: but charged him, if ever he came
to any eminence in his profession, never to sacrifice the
laws and liberty of his country to his own interest, or the
will of his prince.’ He repeated this twice, and immediately fell into a fit of apoplexy, of which he died in afew hours; and this advice had so lasting an influence upou
the son, that he ever after observed and pursued it
”
ound by their determination.” He was one of the committee employed to prepare the charge against the earl of Strafford: but, as soon as he saw the unjustifiable violence
But though Hyde was very zealous for redressing the
grievances of the nation, he was no less so for the security
of the established church, and the honour of the crown.
When a bill was brought in to take away the bishops’ vote
in parliament, and to leave them out of all commissions of
the peace, or any thing that had relation to temporal affairs,
he was very earnest for throwing it out, and said, that,
“from the time tbat parliaments begun, bishops had always been a part of it that if they were taken out, there
was nobody left to represent the clergy which would introduce another piece of injustice, that no other part of
the kingdom could complain of, who, being all represented in parliament, were bound to submit to whatever was
enacted there, because it was, upon the matter, with their
own consent: whereas, if the bill was carried, there was
nobody left to represent the clergy, and yet they must be
bound by their determination.
” He was one of the committee employed to prepare the charge against the earl of
Strafford: but, as soon as he saw the unjustifiable violence
with which the prosecution was precipitated, he left them,
and opposed the bill of attainder warmly. He was afterwards appointed a -manager at the conference with the
house of lords, for abolishing the court of York, of which
that earl had been for several years president; and was
chairman also of several other committees, appointed upon
the most important occasions, as long as he continued to
sit among them. But, when they began to put in execution their ordinance for raising the militia against his majesty, Hyde, being persuaded that this was an act of open
rebellion, left them; and they felt the blow given to their
authority by his absence so sensibly, that in their instructions shortly after to the earl of Essex their general, he
was excepted with a few others from any grace or favour.
ration as for instance, that “sir John Digby lived many years after the king’s return” and that the “ earl of Sandwich’s expedition was never forgiven him by some men:”
During his retirement in Jersey, he began to write his
“History of the Rebellion,
” which had been particularly
recommended to him, and in which he was assisted also by
the king, who supplied him with several of the materials for it.
We learn from the history itself, that upon lord CapePs
waiting on the king at Hampton-court in 1647, his majesty wrote to the chancellor a letter, in which he “thanked
him for undertaking the work he was upon; and told him,
he should expect speedily to receive some contribution
from him towards it;
” and within a very short time afterwards, he sent to him memorials of all that had passed
from the time he had left his majesty at Oxford, when he
waited upon the prince into the west, to the very day that
the king left Oxford to go to the Scots; out of which memorials the most important passages, in the years 1644
and 1645, are faithfully collected. Agreeably to this, the
ninth book opens with declaring, that “the work was first
undertaken with the king’s approbation, and by his encouragement; and particularly, that many important points
were transmitted to the author by the king’s immediate
direction and order, even after he was in the hands and
power of the enemy, out of his own memorials and journals.
” Thus we may trace the exact time when this history was begun; and the time when it was finished may be
ascertained with the same degree of exactness, from the
dedication of the author’s “Survey of the Leviathan,
” in
which he addresses himself to Charles II. in these terms
“As soon as I had finished a work, at least recommended,
if not enjoined to me by your blessed father, and approved,
and in some degree perused by your majesty, I could not,
”
&c. This dedication is dated Moulins, May 10, 1673;
whence it appears, that the history was not completed till
the beginning of that, or the latter end of the preceding
year; and this may account for certain facts being related
which happened long after the Restoration as for instance,
that “sir John Digby lived many years after the king’s
return
” and that the “earl of Sandwich’s expedition was
never forgiven him by some men:
” which might very
consistently be introduced in this history, though that
nobleman did not lose his life till 1672.
n Wiltshire; to which were added, in April 1661, the titles of viscount Cornbury in Oxfordshire, and earl of Clarendon in Wiltshire. These honours, great as they were,
Besides the post of lord chancellor, in which he was
continued, he was chosen chancellor of the university of
Oxford in Oct. 1660 and, in November following, created
a peer by the title of baron Hyde of Hindon in Wiltshire;
to which were added, in April 1661, the titles of viscount
Cornbury in Oxfordshire, and earl of Clarendon in Wiltshire. These honours, great as they were, were, however,
by no means beyond his merit. He had, upon the Restoration, shewn great prudence, justice, and moderation,
in settling the just boundaries between the prerogative of
the crown and the liberties of the people. He had reduced
much confusion into order, and adjusted many clashing
interests, where property was concerned. He had endeavoured to make things easy to the Presbyterians and malcontents by the act of indemnity, and to satisfy the Royalists by the act of uniformity. But it is not possible to
stand many years in a situation so much distinguished,
without becoming the object of envy; which created him
such enemies as both wished and attempted his ruin, and
at last effected it. Doubtless nothing more contributed to
inflame this passion against him, than the circumstance of
his eldest daughter being married to the duke of York,
which became known in a few months after the king’s
return. She had been one of the maids of honour to the
princess royal Henrietta, some time during the exile, when
the duke fell in love with her; and being disappointed by
the defeat of sir George Booth, in a design he had formed
of coming with some forces to England in 1659, he went
to Breda, where his sister then resided. Passing some
weeks there, he took this opportunity, as Burnet tells us,
of soliciting miss Hyde to indulge his desires without marriage; but she managed the matter with such address, that
in the conclusion he married her, Nov. 4 that year, with
all possible secrecy, and unknown to her father. After
their arrival in England, being pregnant, she called upon
the duke to own his marriage; and though he endeavoured
to divert her from this object, both by great promises and
great threatenings, yet she had the spirit and wisdom to
tell him, “She would have it known that she was his wife,
let him use her afterwards as he pleased.
” The king
ordered some bishops and judges to peruse the proofs of
her marriage; and they reporting that it had been solemnized according to the doctrine of gospel and the law
of England, he told his brother, that he must live with
her whom he had made his wife, and at the same time
generously preserved the honour of an excellent servant,
who had not been privy to it; assuring him, that “this
accident should not lessen the esteem and favour he had
for him.
”
The first open attack upon lord Clarendon was made by the earl of Bristol; who, in 1663, exhibited against him a charge of
The first open attack upon lord Clarendon was made by
the earl of Bristol; who, in 1663, exhibited against him a
charge of high treason to the house of lords. There had
been a long course of friendship, both in prosperity and
adversity, between the chancellor and this earl: but they
had gradually fallen into different measures in religion and
politics. In this state of things, the chancellor refusing
what lord Bristol considered as a small favour (which was said to be the passing a patent in favour of a court lady),
the latter took so much offence, that he resolved upon revenge. The substance of the whole accusation was as
follows: “That the chancellor, being in place of highest
trust and confidence with his majesty, and having arrogated
a supreme direction in all thingjs, had, with a traiteroas
intent to draw contempt upon his majesty’s person, and to
alienate the affections of his subjects, abused the said
trust in manner following. 1. He had endeavoured to
alienate the hearts of his majesty’s subjects, by artfully
insinuating to his creatures and dependent);, that his majesty
was inclined to popery, and designed to alter the established religion. 2. He had said to several persons of his
majesty’s privy council, that his majesty was dangerously
corrupted in his religion, and inclined to popery: that
persons of that religion had such access and such credit
with him, that, unless there were a careful eye had upon
it, the protestant religion would be overthrown in this
kingdom. 3. Upon his majesty’s admitting sir Henry
Bennet to be secretary of state in the place of sir Edward
Nicholas, he said, that his majesty had given 10,000^. to
remove a most zealous Protestant, that he might bring into
that place a concealed Papist. 4. In pursuance of the
same traiterous design, several friends and dependents of
his have said aloud, that ‘ were it not for my lord chancellor’s standing in the gap, Popery would be introduced
into this kingdom.’ 5. That he kad persuaded the king,
contrary to his opinion, to allow his name to be used to the
pope and several cardinals, in the solicitation of a cardinal
”
cap for the lord Aubigny, great almoner to the queen: in
order to effect which, he had employed Mr. Richard Bealing, a known Papist, and had likewise applied himself to
several popish priests and Jesuits to the same purpose,
promising great favour to the Papists here, in case it should
be effected. 6. That he had likewise promised to several
Papists, that he would do his endeavour, and said, * he
hoped to compass taking away all penal laws against them;
to the end they might presume and grow vain upon his
patronage; and, by their publishing their hopes of toleration, increase the scandal designed by him to be raised
against his majesty throughout the kingdom. 7. That,
being intrusted with the treaty between his majesty and his
royal consort the queen, he concluded it upon articles
scandalous and dangerous to the Protestant religion. Moreover, he brought the king and queen together without any
settled agreement about the performance of the marriage
rites; whereby, the queen refusing to be married by a
Protestant priest, in case of her being with child, either
the succession should be made uncertain for want of the
due rites of matrimony, or else his majesty be exposed to
a suspicion of having been married in his own dominions
by a Romish priest. 8. That, having endeavoured to
alienate the hearts of the king’s subjects upon the score of
religion, he endeavoured to make use of all his scandals
and jealousies, to raise to himself a popular applause of
being the zealous upholder of the Protestant religion, &c.
9. That he further endeavoured to alienate the hearts of
the king’s subjects, by venting in his own discourse, and
those of his emissaries, opprobrious scandals against his
majesty’s person and course of life; such as are not fit to
be mentioned, unless necessity shall require it. 10. That
he endeavoured to alienate the affections of the duke of
York from his majesty, by suggesting to him, that ‘ his
majesty intended to legitimate the duke of Monmouth.’
11. That he had persuaded the king, against thie advice of
the lord general, to withdraw the English garrisons out of
Scotland, and demolish all the forts built there, at so vast
a charge to this kingdom; and all without expecting the
advice of the parliament of England. 12. That he endeavoured to alienate his majesty’s affections and esteem from
the present parliament, by telling him, ‘ that there never
was so weak and inconsiderable a house of lords, nor never
so weak and heady a house of commons’ and particularly
that ’ it was better to sell Dunkirk than be at their mercy
for want of money.' 13. That, contrary to a known law
made last session, by which money was given and applied
for maintaining Dunkirk, he advised and effected the sale
of the same to the French king. 14. That he had, contrary to law, enriched himself and his treasures by the sale
of offices. 15. That he had converted to his own use vast
sums of public money, raised in Ireland by way of subsidy,
private and public benevolences, and otherwise given and
intended to defray the charge of the government in that
kingdom. 16. That, having arrogated to himself a supreme
direction of all his majesty’s affairs, he had prevailed to
have his majesty’s customs farmed at a lower rate than
others offered; and that by persons with some of whom
he went a share, and other parts of money resulting
from his majesty’s revenue."
id, “The lords have commanded me to deliver to you this scandalous and seditious paper sent from the earl of Clarendon. They bid me present it to you, and desire you
Being now about to quit the kingdom in exile, before
he departed he drew up an apology, in a petition to the
house of lords, in which he vindicated himself from any
way contributing to the late miscarriages, in such a manner as laid the blame at the same time upon others. The
lords received it Dec. 3, and sent two of the judges to
acquaint the commons with it, desiring a conference. The
duke of Buckingham, who was plainly aimed at in the petition, delivered it to the commons; and said, “The lords
have commanded me to deliver to you this scandalous and
seditious paper sent from the earl of Clarendon. They bid
me present it to you, and desire you in a convenient time
to send it to them again; for it has a style which they are
in love with, and therefore desire to keep it.
” Upon the
reading of it in that house, it was voted to be “scandalous,
malicious, and a reproach to the justice of the nation;
”
and they moved the lords, that it might be burnt by the
hands of the common hangman, which was ordered and
executed accordingly. The chancellor retired to Rouen
in Normandy; and, the year following, his life was attempted at Evreux near that city by a body of seamen, in
such an outrageous manner, that he with great difficulty
escaped. In the Bodleian library at Oxford, there is an
original letter from Mr. Oliver Long, dated from Evreux,
April 26, 1668, to sir William Cromwell, secretary of state,
in which the following account is given of this assault.
“As I was travelling from Rouen towards Orleans, it was
my fortune, April 23, to overtake the earl of Clarendon,
then in his unhappy and unmerited exile, who was going
towards Bourbon, but took up his lodgings at a private
hotel in a small walled town called Evreux, some leagues
from Rouen. I, as most English gentlemen did to so valuable a patriot, went to pay him a visit near supper-time;
when he was, as usual, very civil to me. Before supper
was done, twenty or thirty English seamen and more came
and demanded entrance at the great gate; which, being
strongly barred, kept them out for some time. But in a
short space they broke it, and presently drove all they
found, by their advantage of numbers, into the earl’s chamber; whence, by the assistance of only three swords and
pistols, we kept them out for half an hour, in which dispute many of us were wounded by their swords and pistols,
whereof they had many. To conclude, they broke the
windows and the doors, and under the conduct of one
Howard, an Irishman, who has three brothers, as I am told,
in the king of England’s service, and an ensign in the
company of cannoneers, they quickly found the earl in his
bed, not able to stand by the violence of the gout; whence,
after they had given him many blows with the;r swords
and staves, mixed with horrible curses and oaths, they
dragged him on the ground in the middle of the yard,
where they encompassed him around with their swords,
and after they had told him in their own language, how
he had sold the kingdom, and robbed them of their pay,
Howard commanded them all, as one man, to run their
swords through his body. But what difference arose among
themselves before they could agree, God above, who alone
sent this spirit of dissention, only knows. In this interval
their lieutenant, one Svvaine, came and disarmed them.
Sixteen of the ringleaders were put into prison; and many
of those things they had rifled from him, found again,
which were restored, and of great value. Mons. la Fonde,
a great man belonging to the king of France’s bed-chamber, sent to conduct the earl on his way thither, was so
desperately wounded in the head, that there were little
hopes of his life. Many of these assassins were grievously
wounded; and this action is so much resented by all here,
that many of these criminals will meet with an usage equal
to their merit. Had we been sufficiently provided with
fire-arms, we had infallibly done ourselves justice on them;
however, we fear not but the law will supply our defect.
”
, earl of Clarendon, eldest son of the chancellor, was born in 1638.
, earl of Clarendon, eldest son of the chancellor, was born in 1638. Having received the rudiments of education, he early entered into business; for his father, apprehending of what fatal consequence it would be to the king’s affairs, if his correspondence should be discovered by unfaithful secretaries, engaged him, when very young, to write all his letters in cypher; so that he generally passed half the day in writing in cypher, or decyphering, and was so discreet, as well as faithful, that nothing was ever discovered by him. After the restoration, he was created master of arts, at Oxford, in 1660; and, upon settling the queen’s household, appointed chamberlain to her majesty. He was much in the queen’s favour; and, his father being so violently prosecuted on account of her marriage, she thought herself bound t. protect him in a particular manner. He so highly resented the usage his father met with, that he united himself eagerly to the party which opposed the court, and made no inconsiderable iigure in the list of speakers. Mr. "Grey has preserved a great number of his speeches. On his father’s death in 1674, he took his seat in the House of Lords; still continued his opposition, and even signed a protest against an address voted to the king on his speech. He still, however, held his post of chamberlain to the queen; and afterwards, shewing himself no less zealous against the bill of exclusion, was taken into favour, and made a privycounsellor, 1680. But he soon fell under the displeasure of the prevailing party in the House of Commons; who, unable to carry the exclusion bill, shewed their resentment against the principal opposers of it, by voting an address to the king, to remove from his presence and councils, the marquis of Worcester, and the earls of Halifax, Feversham, and Clarendon.
, Lord Hyde and Cornbury, eldest son to Henry earl of Clarendon and Rochester, was the author of a few pamphlets
, Lord Hyde and Cornbury, eldest
son to Henry earl of Clarendon and Rochester, was the
author of a few pamphlets published without his name: of
some tragedies still in manuscript, and of a comedy called
“The Mistakes or, The Happy Resentment,
” printed in
disdain whatever Cornbury disdained.
” “He was,
” says
lord Orford, “upright, calm, steady his virtues were of
the gentlest complexion, yet of the firmest texture vice
could not bend him, nor party warp him even his own
talents could not mislead him. Though a master of eloquence, he preferred justice and the love of his country
to all the applause which the violence of the times in which,
he lived was so prodigal of bestowing on orators who distinguish themselves in any faction; but the tinsel of popularity and the intrinsic of corruption were equally his
contempt. He spoke, nor wrote, nor acted, for fame.
”
He wrote the paper dated Feb. 12, 1737, in the periodical
paper entitled “Common Sense,
” and “A Letter to the
vice-chancellor of Oxford.
” Letter to his Lordship,
” from several
members of the university, acknowledging his merits. He
was succeeded by sir Roger Newdigate. But of all his
compositions, that which did his lordship most credit, was
his “Letter to David Mallet, on the intended publication
of lord Bolingbroke’s Manuscripts,
” which was printed in
Dr. Havvkes worth’s edition of Swift’s works; and it is a
monument, says that editor, that will do more honour to
the writer’s memory than all that mere wit or valour has
achieved since the word began. Mallet, it is well known,
did not profit as he ought to have done by this advice.
Pope’s allusion of “disdain,
” &c. is said, by Ruffhead, to
have arisen from the following circumstance: when lord
Cornbury returned from his travels, the earl of Essex, his
brother-in-law, told him he had got a handsome pension
for him; to which lord Cornbury answered with a composed dignity, “How could you tell, my lord, that I was
to be sold; or, at least, how came you to know my price
so exactly?
”
patron putting an end to that work, he sent this smaller performance abroad, and dedicated it to the earl of Nottingham, then secretary of state, in hopes that it might
About this time Hyde became known to Mr. Boyle, to
whom he was very useful in communicating from Oriental
writers several particulars relating to chemistry, physic,
and natural history. In Oct. 1666, he was collated to a
prebend in the church of Salisbury. In 1674, he published “A Catalogue of the books in the Bodleian library.
”
In Itinera
Mundi
” of Abraham Peritsol, the son of Mordecai Peritsol,
a very learned Jew. This was done to supply in some
measure the Arabic geography of Abulfeda, which, at the
request of Dr. Fell, he had undertaken to publish with a
Latin translation: but the death of his patron putting an
end to that work, he sent this smaller performance abroad,
and dedicated it to the earl of Nottingham, then secretary
of state, in hopes that it might excite a stronger curiosity
amongst the learned to search into this branch of literature.
Dr. Altham, regius-professor of Hebrew, and canon of
Christ-church, being, on some dispute about the oaths,
removed from both preferments, Hyde became possessed
of both, as they are always annexed, in July 1697.
to England, and was recommended by Mr. William Bedwell, a noted orientalist of that time, to William earl of Pembroke, chancellor of Oxford, as an extraordinary young
, son of the preceding, was born either
in 1606 or 1607. As his father was warmly attached to
puritanical principles, he was sent abroad for education;
in the course of which he was put under the tuition of the
celebrated Erpenius, professor of Arabic in the university
of Leyden, and by the help of strong natural parts, united
with a vigorous application, he in a short time made a
surprising progress in philological and oriental literature.
When he was about twenty-two years of age he returned
to England, and was recommended by Mr. William Bedwell, a noted orientalist of that time, to William earl of
Pembroke, chancellor of Oxford, as an extraordinary
young man, who deserved particular encouragement. Accordingly, that generous nobleman immediately wrote to
the university letters in his behalf, requesting that he might
be created bachelor of arts to which degree he was admitted in Jan. 1628-9. In the earl’s recommendation, Jacob
was described as having profited in oriental learning above
the ordinary measures of his age. Soon after he obtained
the patronage of John Selden, Henry Briggs, and Peter
Turner, and, by their endeavours, was elected probationer
fellow of Mertonr college in 1630. Not, however, being
sufficiently skilled in logic and philosophy to carry him
through the severe exercises of that society, the warden
and fellows tacitly assigned him the situation of philological
lecturer. He was then, for a while, diverted from his
studies by attending to some law-suits concerning his patrimony, at the conclusion of which he fell into a Dangerous
sickness, and, by the sudden loss of his patron, the earl of
Pembroke, his life was in danger. Bishop Laud, that great
encourager of literature, having succeeded the earl in the
chancellorship of Oxford, a way was found out, from Merton college statutes, to make Mr. Jacob Socius Grammaticus, that is, Reader of Philology to the Juniors, a place
which had been disused for about a hundred years. Being
now completely settled in his fellowship, he occasionally
resided with Mr. Selden, and assisted him as an amanuensis
in one of the works which he was publishing, and which,
we apprehend, must have been the “Mare clausum.
”
Selden, in acknowledging his obligations, styles him,
“doctissimus Henricus Jacobus.
” It is even understood,
that Jacob added several things to the book, which Mr.
Seldeir, finding them to be very excellent, permitted to
stand. Nay, it is said, that Jacob improved Selden in
the Hebrew language. In 1636, Mr. Jacob was created
master of arts, and in June 1641, he was elected superior
beadle of divinity. At the beginning of the November of
the following year, he was admitted to the degree of bachelor of ptiysic: “but his head,
” says Anthony Wood,
“being always over-busy about critical notions (whicbr made him sometimes a little better than crazed), he
neglected his duty so much, that he was suspended once,
if not twice, from his place, and had his beadle’s staff
taken from him.
” In consequence of the rebellion, and
his attachment to archbishop Laud, he soon became exposed to other calamities. Sir Nathaniel Brent, the republican warden of Merton college, silenced Mr Jacob as
philological lecturer; and at length he was totally deprived
of his fellowship by the parliamentary visitors. Being now
destitute of a sufficient maintenance, he retired to London, where Mr. Selden assisted him, gave him his clothes,
and, among the rest, an old scarlet cloak, the wearing of
which rendered poor Jacob an object of mirth to some of
his acquaintance, who, when they saw it upon his back,
used to call him “Young Selden.
” “But being,
” says
Wood, “a shiftless person, as most mere scholars are,
and the benefactions of friends not sufficing him,
” he sold
a small patrimony which he had at Godmersham in Kent,
to supply his necessities, and died before the money was
spent. He had brought on a bad habit of body by his
close application to his studies. In September 1652, he
retired to the city of Canterbury, where he was kindly
entertained by Dr. William Jacob, a noted physician of
that place; but who, though of the same name, was not
related to our author. By this gentleman he was cured of
a gangrene in his foot; but this being followed by a
tumour and abscess in one of his legs, the discharge
proved too violent for his constitution, and he died Nov. 5,
1652. The next day Dr. Jacob buried him in a manner
answerable to his quality, in the parish-church of All
Saints in Canterbury. Anthony Wood says, that Mr.
Jacob died about the year of his age forty-Spur. But
if the circumstances of his history be carefully compared
together, it will be found that he was probably not less than
forty-six years old at the time of his decease. As to his
character, it appears that he was an innocent, harmless,
careless man, who was entirely devoted to the pursuits of
literature, and totally ignorant of the world.
of the plot formed against his life. The chief actors in this tragedy were Robert Graham, and Walter earl of Athol, the king’s uncle. The former was actuated by revenge
king of Scotland, of the house of Stuart, was born in 1394. In 1405 his father Robert III. sent him to France, in order that he might escape the dangers to which he was exposed from his uncle the duke of Albany, but being taken by an English squadron, he and his whole suite were carried prisoners to the Tower of London. Here the young prince received an excellent education, to which Henry IV. of England was remarkably attentive, thereby making some atonement for his injustice in detaining him. Sir John Pelham, a man of worth and learning was appointed his governor, under whose tuition he made so rapid a progress, that he soon became a prodigy of talents and accomplishments. Robert died in the following year, and James was proclaimed king, but during the remainder of the reign of Henry IV. and the whole of that of Henry V. he was kept in confinement, with a view of preventing the strength of Scotland from being united to that of France against the English arms. At length, under the regency of the duke of Bedford, James was restored to his kingdom, having been full eighteen years a prisoner in this country. James was now thirty years of age, well furnished with learning, and a proficient in the elegant accomplishments of life, and dextrous in the manly exercises, which at that period were in high estimation. He married Joanna Beaufort, daughter of the duchess of Clarence, a lady of distinguished beauty, descended from the royal family of England; and on his return to Scotland, finding that the dujte of Albany and his son had alienated many of the most valuable possessions of the crown, instantly caused the whole of that family and their adherents to be arrested. The latter were chiefly discharged; but the late regent, his two sons, and his father-in-law, he caused to be convicted, executed, and their estates to be confiscated to the crown. Whatever other objections were made to James’s conduct, he procured the enactment of many good laws in his parliaments, which had a tendency to improve the state of society; but at the same time his desire of improving the revenues of the crown led him to many acts of tyranny, which rendered him odious to his nobility. In 1436 he gave his daughter Margaret in marriage to the dauphin of France, and sent with her a splendid train and a vast body of troops. The English, who had in vain attempted to prevent this union by negociation, now endeavoured to intercept the Scotch fleet in its passage, but they missed their object, and the princess arrived in safety at Rochelle. James, exasperated at this act of hostility, declared war against England, and summoned the whole array of his kingdom to assist in the siege of Roxburgh; which, however, he abandoned upon an intimation of a conspiracy being formed against himself by his own people. He now retired to the Carthusian monastery of Perth, which he had himself founded, where he lived in privacy, but this, instead of preventing, facilitated the suecess of the plot formed against his life. The chief actors in this tragedy were Robert Graham, and Walter earl of Athol, the king’s uncle. The former was actuated by revenge for the sufferings of some of his family, the latter by the hope of obtaining the crown for himself. The assassins obtained by bribery admission into the king’s apartments; the alarm was raised, and the ladies attempted to secure the chamber-door; one of them, Catharine Douglas, thrust her arm through a staple, making therewith a sort of bar, in which state she remained till it was dreadfully broken by the force of the assailants. The instant they got admission, they dragged the king from his concealment, and put him to death with a thousand wounds on Feb. 20, 1437, in the forty-fourth year of his age. He is introduced in this work chiefly on account of his literary reputation, for he was a poet as well as a sovereign, and his works, descriptive of the manners and pastimes of the age, were once extremely popular, and are still read with delight by those who can relish the northern dialect. He is said by all the British historians to have been a skilful musician; and it is asserted, that he not only performed admirably on the lute and harp, but was the inventor of many of the most ancient and favourite Scottish melodies, but this Dr. Burney is inclined to doubt. Where this prince acquired his knowledge in music is not ascertained; but it is probable that it was in France, in his passage home from which country he was taken prisoner by the English. Before the reformation we hear of no music being cultivated in Scotland but plain-song, or chanting in the church; nor afterwards, for a long time, except psalmody.
s born at Edinburgh-castle in June 1566, at the time when his mother had fixed her affections on the earl of Bothwell; the young prince, however, was committed to the
king of England, and VI. of Scotland, was the son of the unfortunate Mary queen of Scotland, by her cousin Henry, lord Darnley, and was born at Edinburgh-castle in June 1566, at the time when his mother had fixed her affections on the earl of Bothwell; the young prince, however, was committed to the charge of the earl of Mar, and in the following year, his mother being forced to resign the crown, he was solemnly crowned at Stirling, and all public acts from that time ran in his name. He was educated by the celebrated Buchanan while he was at Stirling castle; his progress in school-learning was rapid, and he manifested talents which presaged the future great man: but he became the prey of flatterers, who urged him to unpopular measures, which in 1582 produced a conspiracy of the nobles against him, who took possession of his person at Ruthven castle. From thence he was conveyed to the palace of Holyrood-house, and treated with much external respect, while in reality he was held in the utmost restraint. A new confederacy of other nobles produced his liberation, and he put himself under the sway of his favourite the earl of Arran, who was violent and unprincipled, and who carried on measures of severity againsf the nobles of the former conspiracy, and against the clergy who favoured them. He contrived to engage the mind of the young king with a constant round of amusement, and he himself exercised with unlimited sway all the regal authority, and by his insolence and rapacity rendered himself universally odious. Queen Elizabeth of England had long employed her arts to maintain a party in the country, which policy was become more necessary on account of her conduct to its queen. Though James had hitherto been induced to treat his mother very irreverently, yet when her life appeared to be in imminent danger, from the sentence pronounced against her by an English court of judicature, he felt himself bound to interfere, and wrote a menacing letter to Elizabeth on the occasion. He also applied to other courts for their assistance, and assembled his own nobles, who promised to stand by him in preventing or avenging such an injustice. When he learned the fatal catastrophe, he rejected with a proper spirit of indignation the hypocritical excuses of Elizabeth, and set about preparations for hostilities; but reflecting on his own resources, which were inadequate to the purposes of carrying on a serious war, he resolved to resume a friendly correspondence with the English court. It is to the honour of James that one of the' first acts of his full iriajority, in 1587, was an attempt to put an end to all family feuds among the nobility, and personally to reconcile them with each other at a solemn festival in Holyrood-house. When the invasion of England was resolved upon by Philip, king of Spain, he put his kingdom into a state of defence, resolving to support the queen against her enemies. His people also were zealous for the preservation of Protestantism, and entered into a national bond for the maintenance of true religion, which was the origin and pattern of all future engagements of the kind, under the name of solemn leagues and covenants. In 1589 he married Anne, daughter of Frederic king of Denmark, and as contrary winds prevented her coming to Scotland, he went to fetch her, and passed the winter in a series of feasting and amusements at Copenhagen. On his return he was frequently in danger from conspiracies against his life, particularly from those excited by the earl of Bothwell. In 1600, while the country was in a state of unusual tranquillity, a very extraordinary event took place, the nature and causes of which were never discovered. While the king was upon a hunting excursion, he was accosted by the brother of Ruthven earl of Gowrie, who, by a feigned tale, induced him and a small train to ride to the earl’s house at Perth. Here he was led to a remote chamber on pretence of having a secret communicated td him, where he found a man in complete armour, and a dagger was put to his breast by lluthven, with threats of immediate death. His attendants were alarmed, and came to his relief; in the end Gowrie and his brother were slain, and the king escaped unhurt. In 1603, on the death of queen Elizabeth, James was proclaimed her successor, and proceeded, amidst the acclamations of his new subjects, to London. One of his first acts was to bestow a profusion of honours and titles upon the great men, as well of his own country as those of England. A conference held at Hampton-court in 1604, between the divines of the established church and the Puritans, afforded James a good opportunity of exhibiting his skill in theological controversy, and the ill-will he bore to popular schemes of church-government. Although the king had distinguished himself in his own country by lenity to the Roman Catholics, yet those of that religion in England were so much disappointed in their expectations of his favour, that a most atrocious plot was formed by the zealots of that party to bloxv up the House of Lords at the first meeting of parliament, and with it the king, queen, and prince of Wales, and all the principal nobility and gentry of the kingdom, and then to set upon the throne the young princess Elizabeth, and establish the Catholic religion. This plot was fortunately discovered on the eve of the designed execution, and the principal persons in it suffered the punishment dae to their crimes. His next object was to reduce Ireland to a settled form of law and government. fc
ossessed of works by this great artist. The greatest collection is that at Taymouth, the seat of the earl of Breadalbane, Sir John Campbell of Glenorchy, his lordship’s
Many of the considerable families in Scotland are possessed of works by this great artist. The greatest collection is that at Taymouth, the seat of the earl of Breadalbane, Sir John Campbell of Glenorchy, his lordship’s ancestor, having been the chief and earliest patron of Jameson, who had attended that gentleman in his travels. In different gentlemen’s houses in the county of Aberdeen, there are portraits by Jameson, as well as in the halls of Marischal and King’s colleges. The most interesting of his pictures is that belonging to the earl of Findlater, at Cullen-house. This piece represents Jameson himself, as large as life, with a round hat on his head. He is looking you in the face, with his left hand, in which is his pallet, on a table, and his right over it, the forefinger of which points to several small pictures in the back ground. Dress, a black jacket with a white falling band. In the back ground are ten squares, of about six inches, representing portraits, some of them full lengths; some of the squares have two or three figures, and one of them is a sea-piece. Size of the picture, within the frame, two feet ten inches in breadth, by two feet eight in height. In the same house is another picture attributed to the same artist, three feet six inches high, by two feet eight broad. The subject must allude to the civil war, as it represents a crown, bottom upmost; sceptre, baton, royal standard, heaped near it; a printed scroll, a casket covered with crimson velvet, lid open, with necklaces and toys. At the bottom, on the right hand, is a small figure about four inches long, badly executed, of Charles I. which seems as if done with red chalk on a white ground.
and where he married a daughter of Dr. Torkington, of Huntingdonshire, who was grand-daughter to the earl of Harborough. His college was Peter-house. He early took up
, son of Dr. John Jebb, dean of Casbell,
was born in London, early in 1736. He was a man much
celebrated among the violent partizans for unbounded
liberty, religious and political; and certainly a man of
learning and talents, though they were both so much absorbed in controversy as to leave little among his writings
of general use. His education was begun in Ireland, and
finished in England. His degrees were taken at Cambridge,
where he bore public offices, and obtained the vicarage of
St. Andrew’s, and where he married a daughter of Dr. Torkington, of Huntingdonshire, who was grand-daughter to
the earl of Harborough. His college was Peter-house. He
early took up the plan of giving theological lectures, which
were attended by several pupils, till his peculiar opinions
became known in 1770, when a prohibition was published
in the university. How soon he had begun to deviate from
the opinions he held at the time of ordination is uncertain,
but in a letter dated Oct. 21, 1775, he says, “I have for
seven years past, in my lectures, maintained steadily the
proper unity of God, and that he alone should be the
object of worship.
” He adds, that he warned his hearers
that this was not the received opinion, but that his own was
settled, and exhorted them to inquire diligently. This
confession seems rather inconsistent with the defence he
addressed to the archbishop of Canterbury in 1770. He
was a strenuous advocate for the establishment of annual
examinations in the university, but could not prevail. In.
1775, he came to the resolution of resigning his ecclesiastical preferments, which he did accordingly; and then, by
the advice of his friends, took up the study of physic. For
this new object he studied indefatigably, and in 1777, obtained his degree by diploma from St. Andrew’s, and was
admitted a licentiate in London.
some to have been raised to the dignity of a cardinal also, but on no apparent good grounds. Robert earl of Gloucester, natural son of Henry I. and Alexander bishop
, or Geoffrey, of Monmouth (ap Arthur), the famous British historian, who flourished in the time of Henry I. was born at Monmouth, and probably educated in the Benedictine monastery near that place; for Oxford and Cambridge had not yet risen to any great height, and bad been lately depressed by the Danish invasion so that monasteries were at this time the principal seminaries of learning. Tradition still points out a small apartment of the above monastery as his library; it bears in the ceiling and windows remains of former magnificence, but is much more modern than the age of Jeffery. He was made archdeacon of Monmouth, and afterwards promoted to the bishopric of St. Asaph in 1152. He is said by some to have been raised to the dignity of a cardinal also, but on no apparent good grounds. Robert earl of Gloucester, natural son of Henry I. and Alexander bishop of Lincoln, were his particular patrons; the first a person of great eminence and authority in the kingdom, and celebrated for his learning; the latter, for being the greatest patron of learned men in that time, and himself a great scholar and statesman.
was buried in St. Mary Aldermanbury church. He married Charlotte, the daughter and heiress of Philip earl of Pembroke, by whom he had an only daughter, who married Thomas
This wretched man left an only son, who inherited his
title as lord Jeffreys, and also his intemperate habit. Two
poetical efforts, in the “State Poems,
” 4 vols. 8vo, are attributed to him, and he is said to have published “An Argument in the case of Monopolies,
”
s pre- -|- Ralph Montague, esq. ambassatended that she was not only a native, dor at that court, the earl of St. Albut au inhabitant of France conse- ban’s, and lord
Under these circumstances it was pre- -|- Ralph Montague, esq. ambassatended that she was not only a native, dor at that court, the earl of St. Albut au inhabitant of France conse- ban’s, and lord Arundel. Scotland, about an union between the two kingdoms. In 1671 he was chosen a representative in parliament far Hythe, in Kent, one of the cinque ports.
, earl of Liverpool, was the eldest son of colonel Charles Jenkinson,
, earl of Liverpool, was the eldest son of colonel Charles Jenkinson, who was younger son of sir Robert Jenkinson, the first baronet of the family.
ve been sometimes displayed in the Monthly Review about the period of its commencement. By the first earl of Harcourt, who was governor to the king, when prince of Wales,
* Some of the city were so much freedom, and afterwards chose master satisfied with the part he acted in this of the Sailers’ company, Wynne, p. affair, that he was presented with his 57. Colonel Jenkinson, who died in 1750, had married Amantha, daughter of Wolfran Cornwall, a captain in the royal navy, by whom he had the subject of this memoir, who was born May 16, 1727, and educated at the Charter-house. He went afterwards to University college, Oxford, where he took the degree of M. A. in Nov. 1752, and thence came to London, having previously distinguished himself by the active part he took in an election controversy for the county of Oxford, where his alliances were numerous, and not unconnected with the contending parties. On this occasion his literary talents were supposed to have contributed materially to the interests of the side he espoused; and those talents are likewise said to have been sometimes displayed in the Monthly Review about the period of its commencement. By the first earl of Harcourt, who was governor to the king, when prince of Wales, he was introduced to his majesty, and through the same channel obtained the notice and confidence of the eail of Bute, to jvhom he was private secretary. In 1761 he sat in parliament for Cockermouth, and held the office of under-secretary of state. In 1763 and 1764 he was secretary to the treasury; in 1766 he was nominated one of the lords of the admiralty; and from 1767 to 1773, was a lord of the treasury. In 1772 he was appointed joint vice-treasurer of Ireland, and called to the privy-council; and in exchange for this office, had afterwards the clerkship of the pells in Ireland, which had been purchased back by government of Mr. Charles Fox. In 1778 he was made secretary at war, which he held until the dissolution of lord North’s administration in 1782. On this occasion his principles led him to join that branch of the old administration which supported Mr. Pitt; and when that minister came into power in 1783-4, Mr. Jenkinson was appointed president of the board of trade, of which office he continued to discharge the duties with uncommon industry and abilities until age and bad health incapacitated him, in 18CU, from farther exertions in this department. In 1786 he obtained the situation of chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, which he held till 1803. He was elevated to the peerage in 1786 by the title of baron Hawksbury, of Hawksbury, in the county of Gloucester; and advanced to be carl of Liverpool in 1796. His lordship died at his house in Hertford-street, May Pair, Dec. 17, 1808. At that time he held the place of collector of the customs inwards, in the port of London, and clerk of the pells in Ireland. He was interred in the family vault at Hawksbury, in Gloucestershire, and was succeeded in honours and estate by his eldest son, Robert Banks, second earl of Liverpool, and now first lord of the treasury.
The late earl of Liverpool made a very conspicuous figure during the whole
The late earl of Liverpool made a very conspicuous
figure during the whole of the present reign as a statesman;
and for the greater part of it, shared the severe obloquy
which attached to all the confidential friends of the Bute
administration; and as he possessed the favour and confidence of his sovereign, he was called the king’s secret adviser. A suspicion of this kind the people were taught to
cherish with uncommon animosity. Burke’s celebrated
pamphlet on “Popular Discontents
” encouraged the notipn; and the leaders of this party of supposed private
power, were the incessant objects of clamour with the multitude and the disaffected. His lordship, however, lived
long enough to weather this storm; to see his solid powers
of mind, and solid services, crowned with the reward of
high honours and great wealth; and to behold his ancient
family, which in early life he had seen sadly decline in its
property and consideration, placed by his own efforts near
the pinnacle of ambition. Senseless cries and prejudices
had gradually died away; and he was allowed to have deserved, as a laborious and profound statesman, the splendid public recompeuces which his sovereign had conferred
upon him.
ers, to have been for some time curate of Harlay, in Shropshire. On the death of his rector, Richard earl of Bradford, the patron of the living, hearing Mr. Jenks spoken
, a pious English divine and writer,
was born in 1646, and was descended from an ancient family at Eaton under Heywood, in Shropshire. He was
related to bishop Williams, of Chichester, to whom he dedicated his book of “Prayers.
” Where he was educated
we are not told, nor is it discoverable that he was at either
university. He appears, however, when admitted into
orders, to have been for some time curate of Harlay, in
Shropshire. On the death of his rector, Richard earl of
Bradford, the patron of the living, hearing Mr. Jenks
spoken of respectfully by the parishioners, went one Sunday, in private, to hear him preach; and was so much
pleased with the discourse, that he presented him to the
living in 1668, and made him his chaplain. Mr. Jenks
had also the living of Kenley, a small village about two
miles from Harlay, at both which churches he officiated
alternately, and kept no curate until old age and infirmities made assistance necessary. He died at Harlay on
May 10, 1724, and was buried in the chancel of that
church, where there is a monument to his memory. The
work by which Mr. Jenks is best known is his “Prayers
and offices of Devotion,
” of which the 27th edition was
published in 1810 by the Rev. Charles Simeon, fellow of
King’s college, Cambridge, with alterations and amendments in style. Mr. Jenks also was the author of “Meditations upon various important subjects,
” of which a second edition was published in Meditations
” is upon his coffin, which he kept by
him for many years, and in which were two sculls, one of
them that of a near relation.
“Art of Dancing,” printed in 1730, and inscribed to lady Fanny Fielding, one of the daughters of the earl of Denbigh, and afterwards countess of Winchelsea. He did not
Mr. Jenyns received the first, part of his education at
home, under the care of the rev. Mr. Hill, and afterwards
of the rev. Stephen White, who became rector of Holton,
in Suffolk. In 1722 he was removed to Cambridge, and
admitted as a fellow-commoner of St. John’s, under Dr.
Edmondson, at that time one of the principal tutors of the
college. Here he pursued his studies with great industry
for three years, and found so much satisfaction in the regular discipline and employments of a college life, that he
%vas often heard to say he accounted the days he had lived
there, among the happiest in his life. He left the university, however, without taking a degree, in consequence,
probably, of his marriage, which took place when he was
very young. His first wife was the natural daughter of his
uncle, colonel Soame, of Deerham Grange, in Norfolk.
With this lady he received a very considerable fortune,
but in all other respects the union was unhappy. After
some years she eloped from him with a Leicestershire gentleman; and a separation being agreed upon in form, Mr.
Jenyns consented to allow her a maintenance, which was
regularly paid until her death, in 1753. This affair, it
may be conjectured, interrupted the plan of life he had
formed after leaving Cambridge. If we may judge from
his poetical efforts, his turn was gay, lively, and satirical.
His songs and other amatory pieces were probably written
when young, and bespeak a mind sufficiently at ease to
trifle with the passions, and not always attentive to delicacy where it interfered with wit. His first publication,
and perhaps his best, was the “Art of Dancing,
” printed
in Epistle to Lord Lovelace,
” and this was followed by other pieces of poetry, which he contributed to
Dodsley’s collection, and afterwards printed in a volume,
in 1752. He wrote also some occasional essays on political
topics, the precise dates of which cannot now be ascertained, as he never put his name to any of his works.
They have, however, been since collected by Mr. Cole in
that edition of his works which was published in 4 vols.
8vo, 1790, and again in 1793.
moved into another department. At the time of its abolition, it consisted of our author, the present earl of Carlisle, the late lord Auckland, and Gibbon the historian.
Soon after his father’s death, at the general election in 1742, he was unanimously chosen one of the representatives for the county of Cambridge. From this time he continued to sit in parliament, either for the county or borough of Cambridge, until 1780, except on the call of a new parliament in 1754, when he was returned for the borougli of Dumvich. In 1755, he was appointed one of the lords commissioners of the board of trade and plantations, at which he sat during. all changes of administration, until the business of the board, which was not great, was removed into another department. At the time of its abolition, it consisted of our author, the present earl of Carlisle, the late lord Auckland, and Gibbon the historian. Mr. Cumberland, the well-known dramatic poet, was secretary. His parliamentary conduct was more uniform than is supposed to be consistent with freedom of opinion, or the usual attachments of party. When he was first elected a member, he found sir Robert Walpole on the eve of being dismissed from the confidence of the House of Commons, and he had the courage, unasked and unknown, to give his support to the falling minister, as far as he could without contributing his eloquence, for Mr. Jenyns seldom spoke, and only in reply to a personal question. He was conscious that he could make no figure as a public speaker, and early desisted from the attempt. After the dismissal of sir Robert Walpole, he constantly ranked among the friends of government. Without giving a public assent to every measure of the minister for the day, he contrived to give him no offence, and seems very early to have conceived an abhorrence of systematic oppositions. What his opinions were on great constitutional questions, may be found in his writings, where, however, they are not laid down with much precision, and seem at no time of his life to have been steady. In his attendance at the board of trade, he was very assiduous, and bestowed much attention on the commercial interests of his country. He has not left any thing in print expressly on this subject, but his biographer has given some of his private opinions, which are liberal and manly.
intimacy with the most eminent literary characters in the higher ranks, particularly the celebrated earl of Chesterfield, and the present earl of Carlisle. The illness
, an elegant English poet,
descended from an ancient Roman catholic family in Norfolk, was the youngest brother of the late sir William Jerningham, bart. and was born in 1727. He was educated
in the English college at Douay, and from thence removed
to Paris, where he improved himself in classical attainments,
becoming a good Latin scholar, and tolerably well acquainted with the Greek, while the French and Italian languages, particularly the former, were nearly as familiar to
him as that of his native country. In his mind, benevolence and poetry had always a mingled operation. His
taste was founded upon the best models of literature, which,
however, he did not always follow, with respect to style, in
his latter performances. The first production which raised
him into public notice, was a poem in recommendation of
the Magdalen hospital; and Mr. Jonas Hanway, one of its
most active patrons, often declared, that its success was
very much promoted by this poem. He continued 'occasionally to afford proofs of his poetical genius; and his
works, which passed through many editions, are uniformly
marked by taste, elegance, and a pensive character, that
always excites tender and pleasing emotions; and in some
of his works, as in “The Shakspeare Gallery,
” “
Enthusiasm,
” and “The Rise and Fall of Scandinavian Poetry,
”
he displays great vigour, and even sublimity. The fiist of
these poems had an elegant and spirited compliment from
Mr. Burke, in the following passage: “I have not for a,
long time seen any thing so well-finished. He has caught
new fire by approaching in his perihelium so near to the
Sun of our poetical system.
” His last work, published a
few months before his death, was entitled “The Old Bard’s
Farewell.
” It is not unworthy of his best days, and
breathes an air of benevolence and grateful piety for the
lot in life which Providence had assigned him. In his later
writings it has been objected that he evinces a species of
liberal spirit in matters of religion, which seems to consider
all religions alike, provided the believer is a man of meekness and forbearance. With this view in his “Essay on
the mild Tenour of Christianity
” he traces historically the
efforts to give an anchorite-cast to the Christian profession,
and gives many interesting anecdotes derived from the page
of Ecclesiastical history, but not always very happily applied. His “Essay on the Eloquence of the Pulpit in
England,
” (prefixed to bishop Bossuet’s Select Sermons and Orations) was very favourably received by the public,
but his notions of pulpit eloquence are rather French than
English. Mr. Jerningham had, during the course of a
long life, enjoyed an intimacy with the most eminent literary characters in the higher ranks, particularly the celebrated earl of Chesterfield, and the present earl of Carlisle.
The illness which occasioned his death, had continued for
some months, and was at times very severe; but his sufferings were much alleviated by a course of theological
study he had imposed on himself, and which he considered
most congenial to a closing life. He died Nov. 17, 1812.
He bequeathed all his manuscripts to Mr. Clarke, New
Bond-street. Mr. Jerningham’s productions are as follow:
J. “Poems and Plays,
” 4 vols. 9th edition, 1806. 2. “Select Sermons and Funeral Orations, translated from the
French of Bossuet, bishop of Meaux,
” third edition, The mild Tenour of Christianity, an Essay, (elucidated from Scripture and History; containing a new illustration of the characters of several eminent personages,)
”
second edition, The Dignity of Human Nature, an Kssay,
” The Alexandrian School;
or, a narrative of the first Christian Professors in Alexandria,
” third edition, The Old Bard’s
Farewell,
” a Poem, second edition, with additional passages,
1812. His dramatic pieces, “The Siege of Berwick,
” the
“Welsh Heiress,
” and “The Peckham Frolic,
” have not
been remarkably successful.
the arguments for it, that the opposers of the court gave him suitable encouragement to proceed. The earl of Essex admitted him into his company and lord William Russel,
The times were turbulent; the duke of York declaring
himself a Papist, his succession to the crown began to be
warmly opposed; and. this brought the doctrine of indefeasible hereditary right into dispute, which was strongly
disrelished by Johnson, who was naturally of no submissive
temper. This inclination was early observed by his patron, who warned him against the danger of it to one of
his profession, and advised him, if he would turn his
thoughts to that subject, to read Bracton and Fortescue
“de laudibus legum Angliae,
” &c. that so he might be
acquainted with the old English constitution but by no
means to make politics the subject of his sermons, for that
matters of faith and practice formed more suitable admonitions from the pulpit. Johnson, it is said, religiously
observed this advice; and though, by applying himself to
the study of the books recommended to him, he became
well versed in the English constitution, yet he never flitroduced it in his sermons, but employed these, with zeal,
to expose the absurdity and mischief of the Popish religion, which was then too much encouraged, and would,
he thought, unavoidably be established if the next heir to
the crown was not set aside. This point he laboured incessantly in his private conversation, and became so good a
master of the arguments for it, that the opposers of the
court gave him suitable encouragement to proceed. The
earl of Essex admitted him into his company and lord
William Russel, respecting his parts and probity, made him
his domestic chaplain. This preferment placed him in a
conspicuous point of view; and in 1679 he was appointed
to preach before the mayor and aldermen at Guildhallchapel, on Palm-Sunday. He took that opportunity of
preaching against Popery; and from this time, he tells us
himself, “he threw away his liberty with both hands, and
with his eyes open, for his country’s service.
” In short,
he began to be regarded by his party as their immoveable
bulwark; and to make good that character, while the bill
of exclusion was carried on by his patron at the head of
that party in the House of Commons, his chaplain, to promote the same cause, engaged the ecclesiastical champion
of passive obedience, Dr. Hickes , in a book entitled
“Julian' the Apostate, &c.
” published in Jovian, &c.
” to which Johnson drew
up a reply, under the title of “Julian’s arts to undermine
and extirpate Christianity,
” &c. This was printed and
entered at Stationers’-hall, 1683, in order to be published;
but, seeing his patron lord Russel seized and imprisoned,
Johnson thought proper to check his zeal, and take the
advice of his friends in suppressing it.
oportioned to the quantity of manuscript sent to the press. The plan was addressed to the celebrated earl of Chesterfield, who had discovered an inclination to be the
The design of this great work was at first suggested by
Dodsley; and Johnson, having consented to undertake it,
entered into an agreement with the booksellers for the sum
of fifteen hundred guineas, which he was to receive in
small payments proportioned to the quantity of manuscript
sent to the press. The plan was addressed to the celebrated earl of Chesterfield, who had discovered an inclination to be the patron of the author; and Johnson, having
made suitable preparations, hired a house in Gough-square,
engaged amanuenses, and began a task which he carried
on by fits, as inclination and health permitted, for nearly
eight years. His amanuenses were six in number, and
employed upon what may be termed the mechanical part
of the work, but their expences and his own were so considerable, that before the work was concluded he had received the whole of the money stipulated for in his agreement with the proprietors. In what time it might have
been completed, had he, to use his own phrase, “set doggedly about it,
” it is useless to conjecture, and it would
perhaps have been hurtful to try. Whoever has been employed on any great literary work knows, not only the
pleasure, but the necessity of occasional relaxation; and
Johnson’s mind, stored with various knowledge, and a rich
fund of sentiment, afforded him many opportunities of this
kind, in addition to the love of society, which was his predominant passion. We find accordingly that during the
years in which his Dictionary was on hand, he accepted
some inferior employment from the booksellers, and produced some of the most valuable of his original works.
ary attempt, two volumes of which he wrote while on a visit to Mount Edgecumbe, the seat of the late earl of Mount Edgecumbe. He appears to have had recourse to some
, author of
<c Chrysal, or the Adventures 'of a Guinea,“and other works
of a similar kind, was a native of Ireland, and descended
from a branch of the Johnstons of Annandale. He was
born in the early part of the last century, but in what year
we have not been able to discover. After receiving a good
classical education, he was called to the bar, and came
over to England for practice in that profession, but being
unfortunately prevented by deafness from attending the
courts, he confined himself to the employment of a chamber counsel. It does not appear that his success was great,
and embarrassed circumstances rendered him glad to embrace any other employment, in which his talents might
have a chance to succeed. His
” Chrysal“is said to have
been his first literary attempt, two volumes of which he
wrote while on a visit to Mount Edgecumbe, the seat of the
late earl of Mount Edgecumbe. He appears to have had
recourse to some degree of art, in order to apprize the
public of what they were to expect from it. In the newspapers for April 1760, it is announced that
” there will be
speedily published, under the emblematical title of the
f Adventures of a Guinea/ a dispassionate, distinct account
of the most remarkable transactions of the present times all
over Europe, with curious and interesting anecdotes of
the public and private characters of the parties principally
concerned in these scenes, especially in England; the
whole interspersed with several most whimsical and entertaining instances of the intimate connection between high
and low life, and the power of little causes to produce great
events.“This, while it has the air of a puff, is not an unfaithful summary of the contents of these volumes, which
were published in May of the same year, and read with
such avidity, that the author was encouraged to add two
more volumes in 1765, not inferior to the former, in merit
or success; and the work has often been reprinted since.
The secret springs of some political intrigues on the continent, are perhaps unfolded in these volumes, but it was
the personal characters of many distinguished statesmen,
women of quality, and citizens, which rendered the work
palatable. A few of these were depicted in such striking
colours as not to be mistaken; and the rest, being supposed to be equally faithful, although less obvious, the
public were long amused in conjecturing the originals.
With some truth, however, there is so much fiction, and in
a few instances so much of what deserves a worse epithet,
that
” Chrysal“does not appear entitled to much higher
praise than that of the best
” scandalous chronicle of the
day." In one case, it may be remembered, the author
occasioned no little confusion among the guilty parties, by
unfolding the secrets of a club of profligates of rank, who
used to assemble at a nobleman’s villa in Buckinghamshire.
In this, as well as other instances, it must be allowed, that
although he describes his bad characters as worse than they
were, he everywhere expresses the noblest sentiments of
indignation against vice and meanness.
ts, or bards of humble origin, was panegyric. This procured him some friends; and, in 1745, when the earl of Chesterfield went over to Ireland as lord-lieutenant, Mr.
, a dramatic writer, was a native of
Drogheda, in Ireland, and was bred a bricklayer; but,
having a natural inclination for the muses, pursued his devotions to them even during the labours of his mere mechanical avocations, and composing a line of brick and a line
of verse alternately, his walls and poems rose in growth
together, but not with equal degrees of durability. His
turn, as is most generally the case with mean poets, or
bards of humble origin, was panegyric. This procured
him some friends; and, in 1745, when the earl of Chesterfield went over to Ireland as lord-lieutenant, Mr. Jones was
recommended to the notice of that nobleman, who, delighted with the discovery of this mechanic muse, not only
favoured him with his own notice and generous munificence,
but also thought proper to transplant this opening flower
into a warmer and more thriving climate. He brought him
with him to England, recommended him to many of the
nobility there, and not only procured him a large subscription for the publishing a collection of his “Poems,
” but
it is said, even took on himself the alteration and correction,
of his tragedy, and also the care of prevailing on the managers of Covent-garden theatre to bring it on the stage.
This nobleman also recommended him in the warmest
manner to Colley Gibber, whose friendly and humane disposition induced him to shew him a thousand acts of friendship, and even made strong efforts by his interest at court
to have secured to him the succession of the laurel after
his death. With these favourable prospects it might have
been expected that Jones would have passed through life
with so much decency as to have ensured his own happiness, and done credit to the partiality of his friends; but
this was not the case. “His temper,
” says one, who
seems to have known him, “was, in consequence of the
dominion of his passions, uncertain and capricious; easily
engaged, and easily disgusted; and, as ceconomy was a
virtue which could never be taken into his catalogue, he
appeared to think himself born rather to be supported by
others than under a duty to secure to himself the profits
which his writings and the munificence of his patrons from
time to time afforded.
” After experiencing many reverses
of fortune, which an overbearing spirit, and an imprudence
in regard to pecuniary concerns, consequently drew on
him, he died in great want, in April 1770, in a garret
belonging to the master of the Bedford coffee-house, by
whose charity he had been some time supported, leaving
an example to those of superior capacities and attainments,
who, despising the common maxims of life, often feel the
want of not pursuing them when it is too late. His principal performance, “The Earl of Essex,
” appeared in The Cave
of Idra,
” which falling into the hands of Dr. Hiffernan, he
enlarged it to five acts, and brought it out under the title
of “The Heroine of the Cave.
” His last publications
were, “Merit
” “The Relief;
” and “Vectis, or the Isle
of Wight,
” poems but his poetical worth, though not
contemptible, was far from being of the first-rate kind.
scape-painting, of which there is a specimen at Chiswick-house. These talents recommended him to the earl of Arundel, or, as some say, to William earl of Pembroke. It
, a celebrated English architect, was born about 1572, in the neighbourhood of St. Paul’s, London, where his father, Mr. Ignatius Jones, was a clothworker. At a proper age, it is said, he put his son apprentice to a joiner, a business that requires some skill in drawing; and in that respect suited well with our architect’s inclination, which naturally led him to the art of designing. It is not probable, however, that he attended long to the mechanical part of his business; for we are told that he distinguished himself early by the extraordinary progress he made with his pencil, and was particularly noticed for his skill in landscape-painting, of which there is a specimen at Chiswick-house. These talents recommended him to the earl of Arundel, or, as some say, to William earl of Pembroke. It is certain, however, that at the. expence of one or other of these lords he travelled over Italy, and the politer parts of Europe; saw whatever was recommended by its antiquity or value; and from these plans formed his own observations, which, upon his return home, he perfected by study. He was no sooner at Rome, says Wai pole, than he found himself in his sphere, and acquired so much reputation that Christian IV. king of Denmark sent for him from Venice, which was the chief place of his residence, and where he had studied the works of Palladio, and made him his architect, but on what buildings he was employed in that country we are yet to learn. He had been some time possessed of this honourable post when that prince, whose sister Anne had married James I. made a visit to England in 1606; and our architect, being desirous to return to his native country, took that opportunity of coming home in the train of his Danish majesty. The magnificence of James’s reign, in dress, buildings, &c. furnished Jones with an opportunity of exercising his talents, which ultimately proved an honour to his country. Mr. Seward says, we know not upon what authority, that the first work he executed after his return from Italy, was the decoration of the inside of the church of St. Catharine Cree, Leadenhall-street. We know, however, that the queen appointed him her architect, presently after his arrival; and he was soon taken, in the same character, into the service of prince Henry, under Whom he discharged his trust with so much fidelity and judgment, that the king gave him the reversion of the place of surveyor-general of his majesty’s works.
The king, in his progress 1620, calling at Wilton, the seat of the earl of Pembroke, among other subjects, fell into a discourse about
The king, in his progress 1620, calling at Wilton, the seat of the earl of Pembroke, among other subjects, fell into a discourse about that surprising group of stones called Stonehenge, upon Salisbury plain, near Wilton. Our architect was immediately sent for by lord Pembroke, and received his majesty’s commands to make observations and deliver his sentiments on the origin of Stone-henge. In obedience to this command, he presently set about the work; and having, with no little pains and expence, taken an exact measurement of the whole, and diligently searched the foundation, in order to find out the original form and aspect, he proceeded to compare it with other antique buildings which he had any where seen. After much reasoning, and along series of authorities, his head being full of Rome, and Roman edifices and precedents, he concluded, that this ancient and stupendous pile must have been originally a Roman temple, dedicated to Ccelus, the senior of the heathen gods, and built after the Tuscan order; that it was built when the Romans flourished in peace and prosperity in Britain, and, probably, betwixt the time of Agricola’s government and the reign of Constantine the Great. This account he presented to his royal master in the same year, 1620, and was immediately appointed one of the commissioners for repairing St. Paul’s cathedral in London.
of designing being little known in England till Mr. Jones, under the patronage of Charles I. and the earl of Arundel, brought it into use. This is the character given
In respect to his character, we are assured, by one who
knew him well, that his scientific abilities surpassed most
of his age. He was a perfect master of the mathematics,
and was not unacquainted with the two learned languages,
Greek and Latin, especially the latter; neither was he
without some turn for poetry . A copy of verses composed by him is published in the “Odcombian Banquet,
”
prefixed to Tom Coryate’s “Crudities,
” in Vindication of
Stone-henge restored ;
” and dying at Butleigh, his seat
in Somersetshire, Oct. 24, 1672, was buried in that church.
Walpole enumerates among his works which are still in
part extant, the new quadrangle of St. John’s college,
Oxfqrd the queen’s chapel at St. James’s the arcade of
Oovent-garden and the church Gunnersbury, near Brentford Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, and one or two of the houses
in Lincoln’s-inn-fields Coleshill in Berkshire, and Cobham
hall in Kent; the Grange, in Hampshire; the queen’s
house at Greeirwich, &c. Several other of his buildings
may be seen in Campbell’s “Vitruvius Britannicus.
” The
principal of his designs were published by Mr. Kent in
1727, fol. as also some of his less designs in 1744, foL
Others were published by Mr. Isaac Ware. Our artist left
in ms. some curious notes upon Palladio’s “Architecture,
”
now in Worcester college, Oxford, some of which are inserted in an edition of Palladio, published at London,
1714, fol. by Mr. Leoni; which notes, he says, raise the
value of the edition above all the preceding ones. His
original drawings for Whitehall-palace are also in Worcester library.
how arduous a task he had begun; but his very numerous acquaintance, and particularly his friend the earl of Macclesfield, never ceased importuning and urging him to
We learn from the “Anecdotes of Bowyer,
” that the
plan of another work was formed by this eminent mathematician, intended to be of the same nature with the “Synopsis,
” but far more copious and diffusive, and to serve
as a general introduction to the sciences, or, which is the
same thing, to the mathematical and philosophical works
of Newton. A work of this kind had long been a desideratum in literature, and it required a geometrician of the
first class to sustain the weight of so important an undertaking; for which, as M. d'Alembert justly observes, “the
combined force of the greatest mathematicians would not
have been more than sufficient.
” The ingenious author
was conscious how arduous a task he had begun; but his
very numerous acquaintance, and particularly his friend
the earl of Macclesfield, never ceased importuning and
urging him to persist, till he had finished the whole work,
the result of all his knowledge and experience through a
life of near 7O years, and a standing monument, as he had
reason to hope, of his talents and industry. He had
scarcely sent the first sheet to the press, when a fatal illness obliged him to discontinue the impression; and a few
days before his death, he intrusted the ms. fairly transcribed by an amanuensis, to the care of lord Macclesfield, who promised to publish it, as well for the honour
of the author as for the benefit of his family, to whom the
property of the book belonged. The earl survived his
friend many years but the “Introduction to the Mathetics
” was forgotten or neglected and, after his death, the
ms. was not to be found whether it was accidentally destroyed, which is hardly credible, or whether, as hath been
suggested, it had been lent to some geometrician, unworthy
to bear the name either of a philosopher or a man, who has
since concealed it, or possibly burned the original for fear
of detection. Lord Teignmouth, however, informs us, in
his life of Mr. Jones’s illustrious Son, that there is no evidence in his memoranda to confirm or disprove this account.
eory was demonstrated and explained. At this school, too, he commenced an acquaintance with the late earl of Liverpool, which was farther cultivated at the university,
, a late venerable and pious divine of
the church of England, was born at Lowick in Northumberland, July 30, 1726. His father was Morgan Jones, a
Welsh gentleman, a descendant of Colonel Jones (but of very different principles) who married a sister of Oliver Cromwell. His mother was Sarah, the daughter of the Rev. Mr.
Lettin, of Lowick. He was remarkable from his childhood
for unwearied industry and ingmium versatile. As soon as
he was of the proper age, he was admitted, on the nomination of the duke of Dorset, a scholar at the Charterhouse, where he made a rapid progress in Greek and Latin,
and laid the foundation of that knowledge which has since
given him a distinguished name in the Christian world.
His turn for philosophical studies soon began to shew itself;
for meeting, when at the Charter- house, with Zachary
Williams, author of a magnetical theory, which is now lost,
he copied some of his tables and calculations, was shewn
the internal construction of his instrument for finding the
variation of the compass in all parts of the world; and saw
all the diagrams by which his whole theory was demonstrated and explained. At this school, too, he commenced
an acquaintance with the late earl of Liverpool, which was
farther cultivated at the university, where they were of the
same college, and continued to the last, notwithstanding
the great difference in their future destination, to entertain
a respect for each other.
When about eighteen years of age, he left the school,
and went to University college, Oxford, on a Charterhouse exhibition. Among the several companions of his
studies whom he loved and respected, there was no one
dearer to him than Mr. George Home, afterwards bishop
of Norwich. Between them “there was a sacred friendship a friendship made up of religious principles, which
increased daily, by a similitude of inclinations, to the same
recreations and studies.
” Having taken the degree of B. A.
in A full
Answer to bishop Clayton’s Essay on Spirit,
” published in
racion of divine truth and the advancement of virtue. "When the first volume was published, the late earl of Bute, the patron of learning ant 4 learned men, was so satisfied
While residing here he drew up “The Catholic Doctrine of the Trinity,
” which he had been revolving in his
mind for some years. When this valuable work came to a
third edition in 1767, he added to it “A Letter to the
common people, in answer to some popular arguments
against the Trinity,
” which the Society for promoting
Christian knowledge have since printed separately, and
admitted into their list of books. Here likewise he engaged in a favourite work, for which he was eminently
qualified, as the event proved, and for which some of his
friends subscribed among them 300l. for three years, to
enable him to supply himself with an apparatus sufficient
for the purpose of making the experiments necessary to his
composing a treatise on philosophy. Accordingly, in 1762,
he published “An Essay on the first principles of Natural
Philosophy,
” 4to, the design of which was to demonstrate
the use of natural means, or second causes, in the economy
of the material world, from reason, experiments, and the
testimony of antiquity; and in 1781 he published a larger
work in 4to, under the title of “Physiological DisquisU
tions, or Discourses on the Natural Philosophy of the
Elements.
” As it was ever his study to make philosophy
the handmaid of religion, he has in this work embraced
every opportunity of employing natural knowledge in the
illustracion of divine truth and the advancement of virtue.
"When the first volume was published, the late earl of Bute,
the patron of learning ant 4 learned men, was so satisfied
with it, that he desired the author not to be intimidated
through fear of expence from pursuing his philosophical
studies, and likewise commissioned him to direct Mr.
Adams, the mathematical instrument maker, to supply him
with such instruments as he might want for making experiments, and put them to his account. His lordship also
handsomely offered him the use of any books he naight
have occasion for.
ption also was entered hi to for a monument in the Abbey, but prevented by the rebellion. The second earl of Oxford contributed the bust in basrelievo which is now in
The “Tale of a Tub,
” and the “Magnetic Lady,
” were
his last dramatic pieces, and bear very few marks of his
original powers. He penned another masque in 1634,
and we have a “New Year’s Ode
” dated in 1G35, but the
remainder of his life appears to have been wasted in sickness of the paralytic kind, which at length carried him off,
Aug. 16, 1637, in the sixty-third year of his age. Three
days afterwards he was interred in Westminster- abbey, at
the north-west end near the belfrey, with a common pavement stone laid over his grave, with a short and irreverend
inscription of “O rare Ben Jonson,
” cut at the expence
of sir John Young of Great Milton in Oxfordshire. His
death was lamented as a public loss to the poetical world.
About six months after this event, his contemporaries
joined in a collection of elegies and encomiastic poems,
which was published under the title of “Jonsonius Virbius;
or the Memory of Ben Jonson revived by the friends of the
Muses.
” Dr. Duppa, bishop of Chichester, was the editor of this volume, which contained verses by lords Falkland and Buckhurst, sir John Beaumont, sir Francis Wortley, sir Thomas Hawkins, Messrs. Henry King, Henry
Coventry, Thomas May, Dudley Diggs, George Fortescue,
William Habington, Edmund Waller, J. Vernon, J. Cl.
(probably Cleveland) Jasper Mayne, Will. Cartwright,
John Rutter, Owen Feltham, George Donne, Shakerley
Marmio'n, John Ford, R. Brideoak, Rich. West, R. Meade,
H. Ramsay, T. Terrent, Rob. Wasing, Will. Bew, and
Sam. Evans. A subscription also was entered hi to for a
monument in the Abbey, but prevented by the rebellion.
The second earl of Oxford contributed the bust in basrelievo which is now in Poet’s-corner. Jonson had several
children, but survived them all. One of them was a poet,
and, as Mr. Malqne has discovered, the author of a Drama
written in conjunction with Brome. It should seem that
he was not on good terms with his father. Fuller says that
“Ben was not happy in his children.
”
-book written in the time of the civil wars by Mr. Oldisworth, who was secretary, I think, to Philip earl of Pembroke. Yet in 1614, when sir Walter published his History
“Mr. Camden recommended (Jonson) to sir Walter
Raleigh, who trusted him with the care and instruction of
his eldest son Walter, a gay spark, who could not brook
Ben’s rigorous treatment, but, perceiving one foible in his
disposition, made use of that to throw oft* the yoke of his
government. And this was an unlucky habit Ben had contracted, through his love of jovial company, of being overtaken with liquor, which sir Walter did of all vices most
abominate, and hath most exclaimed against. One day,
when Ben had taken a plentiful dose, and was fallen into a
sound sleep, young Raleigh got a great basket, and a
touple of men, who laid Ben in it, and then with a pole
carried him between their shoulders to sir Walter, telling
him their young master had sent home his tutor. This I
had from a ms memorandum-book written in the time of
the civil wars by Mr. Oldisworth, who was secretary, I
think, to Philip earl of Pembroke. Yet in 1614, when
sir Walter published his History of the World, there was a
good understanding between him and Ben Jonson; for the
verses, which explain the grave frontispiece before that
history, were written by Jonson, and are reprinted in his
” Underwoods,“where the poem is called
” The Mind
of the frontispiece to a book;“but he names not this
book.
”
, Bloomsbury. ID this town he spent the next twenty-five years of his life: for though, in 1737, the earl of Winchelsea gave him the living of Eastvvell in Kent, where
In May 1715, he was admitted of Jesus-college, Cambridge; and, about two years after, recommended by his
tutor Dr. Styan Thirlby, who was very fond of him, and
always retained a friendship for him, to make extracts from
Eustathius, for the use of Pope’s “Homer.
” He was not
employed directly by Pope, nor did it ever happen to him
to see the face of that poet: for, being of a shy modest
nature, he felt no impulse to force his way to him; nor
did the other make inquiry about him, though perfectly
satisfied with what he had done for him. He took the degree of B. A. in 1718-19, and M. A. in 1722: he had been
chosen fellow of his college soon after the taking of his
first degree. This year he distinguished himself by the
publication of a few Latin poems, entitled, “Lusus Poetici;
” which were well received, and were twice reprinted,
with additions. In Sept. 1723, he entered into deacon’s
orders, and into priest’s the June following. In Jan. 1726 -7,
he was presented by his college to Swavesey, near Cambridge; but, marrying in 1728, he resigned that living,
and spon after settled himself in London, where he was
engaged as a reader and preacher at a chapel in
street, near Russell-street, Bloomsbury.
ID this town he spent the next twenty-five years of his
life: for though, in 1737, the earl of Winchelsea gave him
the living of Eastvvell in Kent, where he resided a little
time, yet he very soon quitted it, and returned to London.
Here for many years he had employment as a preacher,
in the abovementioned and other chapels; with the emoluments of which occasional services, and a competency of
his own, he supported himself and family in a decent
though private manner, dividing his leisure hours between
his books and his friends, especially those of the literati,
with whom he always kept up a close and intimate connection. In 1730, he published “Four Sermons upon the
Truth of the Christian Religion:
” the substance of
which was afterwards incorporated in a work, entitled,
“Discourses concerning the Truth of the Christian Religion, 1746,
” 8vo.
e out his first volume of “Remarks upon Ecclesiastical History,” 8vi. This work was inscribed to die earl of Burlington by whom, as trustee for the Boylean Lecture, he
In 1731, he published “Miscellaneous Observations
upon Authors, ancient and modern,
” in 2 vols. 8vo. This
is a collection of critical remarks, of which, however, he
was not the sole, though the principal, author: Pearce,
Masson, Dr. Taylor, Wasse, Theobald, Dr. Robinson,
Upton, Thirlby, and others, were contributors to it. This
work was highly approved by the learned here, and was
translated into Latin at Amsterdam, and continued on the
same plan by D'Orville and Burman. In 1751, archbishop
Herring, unsolicited, gave him the living of St. Dunstan
in the East, London. This prelate had long entertained
a high and affectionate regard for him had endeavoured
to serve him in many instances with others and afterwards, in 1755, conferred upon him the degree of D. D.
This same year, 1751, came out his first volume of “Remarks upon Ecclesiastical History,
” 8vi. This work was
inscribed to die earl of Burlington by whom, as trustee
for the Boylean Lecture, he had, through the application
of bishop Herring and bishop Sherlock, been appointed,
in 1749, to preach that lecture. There is a preface to this
volume of more than forty pages, which, with much learning and ingenuity, displays a spirit of liberty and candour.
These “Remarks upon Ecclesiastical fiistory
” were continued, in tour succeeding volumes, down to the year 1517,
when Luther began the work of reformation; two, published by himself, in 1752 and 1754; and two, after his
death, in 1773.
In 1755, he published “Six Dissertations upon different
Subjects,
” 8vo. The sixth dissertation is, “On the state
of the dead, as described by Homer and Virgil;
” and the
remarks in this, tending to establish the great antiquity of
the doctrine of a future state, interfered with Warburton
in his “Divine Legation of Moses,
” and drew upon him
from that quarter a very severe attack. He made no reply; but in his “Adversaria
” was the following memorandum, which shews that he did not oppose the notions of
other men, from any spirit of envy or contradiction, but
from a full persuasion that the real matter of fact was as
he had represented it. “I have examined,
” says he, “the
state of the dead, as described by Homer and Virgil; and
upon that dissertation I am willing to stake all the little
credit that I have as a critic and philosopher. I have there
observed, that Homer was not the inventor of the fabulous
history of the gods: he had those stories, and also the
doctrine of a future state, from old traditions. Many notions of the Pagans, which came from tradition, are considered by Barrow, Serm. viii. vol. II. in which sermon the
existence of God is proved from universal consent.
”
s religion for that of Rome, renounced his fellowship, 1644, and being taken into the service of the earl of Glamorgan, went with him into Ireland, and continued there
, alias Lyde, second son of William,
Joyner, alias Lyde*, of Horspath, near Oxford, by Anne
his wife, daughter and coheir of Edward Leyworth, M. 0.
of Oxford, was born in St. Giles’s parish there, ApriT
1622, educated partly in Thame, but more in Coventry
free-school, elected demy of Magdalen-college, 1626, and
afterwards fellow. But, “upon a foresight of the utter
ruin of the church of England by the presbyterians in the
time of the rebellion,
” he changed his religion for that of
Rome, renounced his fellowship, 1644, and being taken
into the service of the earl of Glamorgan, went with him
into Ireland, and continued there till the royal cause declined in that country. He then accompanied that earl in
his travels abroad; and some time after being recommended
to the service of the hon. Walter Montague, abbot of St.
Martin, near Pontoise, he continued several years in his
family as his steward, esteemed for his learning, sincere
rles Cavendish, who appears to have studied under him at Hamburgh. This gentleman was brother to the earl of Newcastle, who had the care of Charles I. when a youth.
Jungius seems to have eminently distinguished himself
in the several studies of theology, medicine, mathematics,
metaphysics, and botany, upon all which pursuits his opinions and observations are handed down to us in his writings,
though the most famous part of his work, entitled “Doxoscopiae Physicze Minores,
” is upon the last mentioned subject, botany. This book was first printed at Hamburgh, in
4to, A.D. 1662, and again, in 1679, under the care of
Martin Fogel, with this additional title, “Prsecipuarum
opinionum physicarum.
” A copy of the former edition of
this work is in the Linnoean library, having been presented
to Linnæus by his pupil, professor P. D. Giseke, of Hamburgh. The botanical part of it, included in the third
section of the second part, occupies about 100 pages, and
contains many judicious and acute rules for making distinct
species of plants, as well as some curious remarks upon
genera. He was a great critic in botanical nomenclature;
and constructed a variety of terms which agree with those
of Linnasus, and his remarks upon botanical discrimination
have been of considerable advantage to succeeding botanists, and many of his definitions are repeatedly made
use of by our immortal countryman, Ray. He was the first
who projected and raised a literary society in Germany,
though this institution did not share a better fate than the one
which had just before been founded in this country (and which appears to have served for its model) by Hugh Latimer, Thomas Linacre, and others, for the purpose of
discussing and illustrating Aristotle’s philosophy. They
both Bourished but for a short period, though the Heunetic
or Ereunetic society, as it was called, established by professor Jungius, was on a far more comprehensive plan than
the other, and may indeed be considered as having, in
some measure, embraced the same views with which the
royal society was afterwards instituted in Great Britain.
The fame of Jungius was originally diffused through this
country by his noble pupil, the honourable Charles Cavendish, who appears to have studied under him at Hamburgh.
This gentleman was brother to the earl of Newcastle, who
had the care of Charles I. when a youth.
lf by his learning and amiable manners to the literati there, he was taken into the family of Thomas earl of Arundel, in which he continued for the space of thirty years.
, son of the preceding, was born at Heidelberg in 1589, and received the first elements of his education at Leyden, apparently with a view to letters; but upon the death of his father in 1602, resolving to go into the army in the service of the prince of Orange, he applied himself particularly to such branches of the mathematics as are necessary to make a figure in the military life. He had niade a good progress in these accomplishments at twenty years of age; when the war being concluded by a truce for twelve years in 1609, occasioned a change in his purpose, and inclined him to cultivate the arts of peace by a close application to study. His first literary employment was to collect, digest, and publish some of his father’s writings. After some years spent thus in his own country, he resolved, for farther improvement, to travel abroad. With that view he went first to France, and then to England, in which he arrived in 1620, and having recommended himself by his learning and amiable manners to the literati there, he was taken into the family of Thomas earl of Arundel, in which he continued for the space of thirty years. During his abode there he made frequent excursions to Oxford, chiefly for the sake of the Bodleian and other libraries; where, meeting with several Anglo-Saxon books, he resolved to study the language, which was at that time neglected. He soon perceived that the Anglo-Saxon tongue would be of service to him for discovering many etymologies necessary to clear up the Flemish, Belgic, German, and English, languages; and therefore devoted himself wholly to that study, He afterwards learned the ancient language of the Goths, Francs, Cimbri, and Prisons; by which he discovered the etymology of several Italian, French, and Spanish words; for the Goths, Vandals, French, Burgundians, and Germans, spread their language in the provinces they conquered, of which some vestiges are still left.
le edifice of church and state, he resigned his office May 17, 1641, just after the execution of the earl of Strafford, in consequence of the king’s passing the bill
It was, however, his misfortune, that the archbishop carried his esteem for him too far, and involved him in a scheme which Laud vainly fancied would raise the power and consequence of the church. This was no other than to place churchmen in high political stations;.and by way of experiment, he prevailed on the king to appoint bishop Juxon to the office of lord high treasurer, to which he was accordingly promoted in 1635. This office no churchman had held since the time of Henry VII. and although that was not such a very distant period, as not to afford something like a precedent to the promotion, yet the sentiments of the nation were now totally changed, and the noble families, from which such an officer was expected to have been chosen, were not more astonished than displeased to see the staff put into the hands of a clergyman scarcely known out of the verge of his college until called to the bishopric of London, which he had not filled two years. Notwithstanding this, it is allowed un all hands that Dr. Juxon conducted himself in such a manner, as to give no offence to any party; while, in the management of official concerns, he was so prudent and oeconomical, as considerably to benefit the exchequer. There cannot, indeed, be a greater proof of his good conduct than this, that when the republican party ransacked every office for causes of impeachment, sequestration, and death, they found nothing to object to bishop Juxon. He was not, however, made for the times; and when he saw the storm approaching which was to overset the whole edifice of church and state, he resigned his office May 17, 1641, just after the execution of the earl of Strafford, in consequence of the king’s passing the bill of attainder, contrary to Juxon’s express and earnest advice.
in imitation of the old manuscripts, curiously decorated with the pen. The book is dedicated to the earl of Essex. On one of the first pages are his arms neatly drawn,
, a lady celebrated for her skill in
calligraphy, in queen Elizabeth’s and king James’s time,
appears to have lived single until the age of forty, when
she became the wife of one Bartholomew Keilo, a native
of Scotland, by whom she had a son, Samuel Kello, who
was educated at Christ-church, Oxford, and was minister
of Speckshall in Suffolk. His son was sword-bearer of
Norwich, and died in 1709. All we know besides of her
is, that she was a correspondent of bishop Hall, when he
was dean of Worcester in 1617. Various specimens of her
delicate and beautiful writing are in our public repositories,
and some in Edinburgh-castle. In the library of Christchurch, Oxford, are the Psalrns of David, written in French
by Mrs. Inglis, who presented them in person to queen
Elizabeth, by whom they were given to the library. Two
manuscripts, written by her, were also preserved with care
in the Bodleian library: one of them is entitled “Le six
vingt et six Quatrains de Guy de Tour, sieur de Pybrac,
escrits par Esther Inglis, pour son dernier adieu, ce 21e
jour de Juin, 1617.
” The following address is, in the
second leaf, written in capital letters: “To the right
worshipful my very singular friende, Joseph Hall, doctor of
divinity, and dean of Winchester, Esther Inglis wisheth
all increase of true happiness. Junii xxi. 1617.
” In the
third leaf is pasted the head of the writer, painted upon a
card. The other manuscript is entitled “Les Proverbes de
Salomon; escrites en diverses sortes de lettres, par Esther
Anglois, en Francoise. A Lislehourge en Escosse,
” DC
l'Eternel Je biert, de moi le mal, ou rien.
” A music-book
lies open before her. Under the picture is a Latin epigram by Andrew Melvin, and on the following page a
second by the same author, in praise of Mrs. Inglis. In
the royal library, D. xvi. are “Esther Inglis’s fifty Emblems,
” finely drawn and written: “A Lislebourg en
Escosse, Panne 1624.
”
the short period of his life. He was elected F. S. A. 1771, and F. R. S. 1772; and, by favour of the earl of Suffolk, in him the honour of Suffolk herald extraordinary
, was the only son of one of the most eminent merchants at Yarmouth, where he was born in 1751.
He was entered of Caius college, Cambridge, where he
did not long reside; but, returning to Yarmouth, became
acquainted -with that celebrated antiquary Thomas Martin
of Palgrave, and caught from him that taste for antiquities
which he pursued during the short period of his life. He
was elected F. S. A. 1771, and F. R. S. 1772; and, by favour of the earl of Suffolk, in him the honour of Suffolk
herald extraordinary was revived; an office attended with
no profit, but valuable to him by the access it gave to the
Mss. muniments, &c. of the heralds college, of which he
thereby became an honorary member. His first attempt
at antiquarian publication was by proposals (without his name) in 1771, for printing an account of Lothingland
hundred in Suffolk; for which he had engraved several
small plates of arms and monuments in the churches of
Friston, Gorleston, Loud, Lowestoffe, and Somerliton, from
his own drawings. His next essay was the short preface
to Mr. Swinden’s “History and Antiquities of Great Yarmouth, in the county of Norfolk, 1772,
” 4to. Mr. Svvinden, who was a schoolmaster in Great Yarmouth, was a
most intimate friend of Mr. Ives, who not only assisted
him with his purse, and warmly patronized him while
living, but superintended the book for the emolument of
the author’s widow, and delivered it to the subscribers .
In 1772 he caused to be cut nine wooden plates of old Norfolk
seals, entitled “Sigilla antiqua Norfolciensia. Impressit
Johannes Ives, S. A. S.
” and a copper-plate portrait of Mr.
Martin holding an urn, since prefixed to Martin’s “History
of Thetford.
” On Aug. 16, 1773, by a special licence
from the archbishop of Canterbury, he was married at Lambeth church to Miss Kett (of an ancient family in Norfolk),
and afterwards resided at Yarmouth.
us and valuable ms collections, which were once in the collection of Mr. West, were purchased by the earl of Shelburne, afterwards marquis of Lansdowne, and sold with
Whatever offence this sermon might give to others, it
did not offend the succeeding duke of Devonshire, to whom
it was dedicated, who, on the contrary, recommended the
doctor to the queen for the deanery of Peterborough, which
he obtained in 1707. In 1709, he published “A Vindication of the Church and Clergy of England from some
]ate Reproaches rudely and unjustly cast upon them
” and,
“A true Answer to Dr. SacheverelPs Sermon before the
Lord-Mayor, November 5 of that year.
” In the dean the traitor.
” It was generally said, that the original sketch was designed for a
bishop under Dr. Welton’s displeasure, which occasioned
the elbow-chair, and that this bishop was Burnet: but the
painter being apprehensive of an action of Scandalum Magnatum, leave was given him to drop the bishop, and make
the dean. Multitudes of people came daily to the church
to admire the sight; but it was esteemed so insolent a contempt of all that is sacred, that, upon the complaint of
others, (for the dean never saw or seemed to regard it, the bishop of London obliged those who set the picture up to take it down again. But these arts and contrivances to expose him, instead of discouraging, served only to animate him; and he continued to write and act as usual in the defence of that cause which he had espoused and pushed so vigorously hitherto. In the mean time, he employed his leisure-hours in things of a different nature; but which, he thought, would be no
less serviceable to the public good. In 1713, he made a
large collection of books, charts, maps, and papers, at his
own expence, with a design of writing “A full History of
the Propagation of Christianity in the English American
Colonies;
” and published a catalogue of all the distinct
treatises and papers, in the order of time as they were first
printed or written, under this title, “Bibliothecae Americanae primordia.
” About the same time he founded “an
antiquarian and historical library
” at Peterborough; for
which purpose he had long been gathering up pieces, from
the very beginning of printing in England to the latter end
of queen Elizabeth’s reign. In the rebellion of 1715, he
published a sermon upon “the witchcraft of the present
Rebellion;
” and, the two following years, was very zealous
for repealing the acts against occasional conformity and
the growth of schism. He also warmly opposed the proceedings in the convocation against Hoadly, then bishop of
Bangor which was thought to hurt him so as to prove an
effectual bar to his farther advancement in the church
nevertheless, he was afterwards promoted to the see of
Peterborough, November 1718. He continued to print
several things after his last promotion, which he lived to
enjoy something above ten years; and then died in his
house in James’s-street, December 19, 1728. His numerous and valuable ms collections, which were once in the
collection of Mr. West, were purchased by the earl of
Shelburne, afterwards marquis of Lansdowne, and sold
with the rest of his lordship’s Mss. to the British Museum,
where they are now deposited. Among these are two volumes in a large Atlas folio, which were intended for publication under the following comprehensive title “Diptycha Ecclesise Anglicanae sive Tabulae Sacrse in quibus
facili ordine recensentur Archiepiscopi, Episcopi, eorumque Suffraganei, Vicarii Generales, et Cancellarii; Ecclesiarum insuper Cathedralium Priores, Decani, Thesaurarii,
Praecentores, Cancellarii, Archidiaconi, & melioris notae
Canonici, continua serie deducti a Gulielmi I. Conquestu,
ad auspicata Gul. III. tempora.
”
was the principal man of talk and business, and acted as a master of requests. He was soliciting the earl of Arran to speak to his brother the duke of Ormond, to get
"Dr. Swift came into the coffee-house, and had a bow from every body but me, who, I confess, could not but despise him. When I came to the an ti- chamber to wait before prayers, Dr. Swift was the principal man of talk and business, and acted as a master of requests. He was soliciting the earl of Arran to speak to his brother the duke of Ormond, to get a chaplain’s place established in the garrison of Hull for Mr. Fiddes, a clergyman in that neighbourhood, who had lately been in gaol, and published sermons to pay fees. He was promising Mr. Thorold to undertake with my lord treasurer, that, according to his petition, he should obtain a salary of 200l. per annum, as minister of the English church at Rotterdam. Then he stopt F. Gwynne, esq. going in with his red bag to the queen, and told him aloud he had somewhat to say to him from my lord treasurer. He talked with the son of Dr. Davenant to be sent abroad, and took out his pocket-book and wrote down several things, as memoranda, to do for him. He turned to the fire, and took out his gold watch, and, telling the time of the day, complained it was very late. A gentleman said, ‘ he was too fast.’ * How can I help it,‘ says the doctor, ’ if the courtiers give me a watch that won‘t go right’ Then he instructed a young nobleman, that the best poet in England was Mr. Pope (a papist), who had begun a translation of Homer into English verse for which ‘ he must have ’em all subscribe' for, says he, the author shall not begin to print till I have a thousand guineas for him. Lord Treasurer, after leaving the queen, came through the room beckoning Dr. Swift to follow him: both went off just before prayers. 11 Nov. 3. I see and hear a great deal to confirm a doubt, that the pretender’s interest is much at the bottom of some
ition was superior to all civil powers.” The envoy communicated this answer of the great duke to the earl of Sunderland, then secretary of state, who sent a menacing
The same year he was, by the interest of his brother,
appointed chaplain to the English factory at Leghorn;
where he no sooner arrived than he met with great opposition from the papists, and was in great danger of the
inquisition. This establishment of a church-of-England
chaplain was a new thing; and the Italians were so jealous
of the Northern heresy, that, to give as little offence as
possible, he performed the duties of his office with the
utmost privacy and caution. But, notwithstanding this,
great offence was taken at it; and complaints were immediately sent to Florence and Rome. Upon this, the pope,
and the court of inquisition at Home, declared their resolution to expel heresy, and the public teacher of it, from
the confines of the holy see; and therefore secret orders
were given to apprehend Mr. Kennet at Leghorn, and to
hurry him away to Pisa, and thence to some other religious
prison, to bury him alive, or otherwise dispose of him in
the severest manner. Upon notice of this design, Dr.
Newton, the English envoy at Florence, interposed his
offices at that court; where he could obtain no other
answer, but that “he might send for the English preacher,
and keep him in his own family as his domestic chaplain;
otherwise, if he presumed to continue at Leghorn, he must
take the consequences of it; for, in those matters of religion, the court of inquisition was superior to all civil
powers.
” The envoy communicated this answer of the
great duke to the earl of Sunderland, then secretary of
state, who sent a menacing letter by her majesty’s order;
and then the chaplain continued to officiate in safety,
though he was with much difficulty preserved from their
intended fury till that letter arrived.
ever, of the ornamental kind, he was deservedly admired he executed the temple of Venus at Stowe the earl of Leicester’s house at Holkham in Norfolk; the great hall at
, an ingenious artist, was born in Yorkshire, in 1685, and put apprentice to a coach-painter, but, feeling the superiority of his talents, he left his master, and came up to London, where he soon proved himself worthy of encouragement and patronage. In 1710 he was sent, by the munificence of some gentlemen of his own country, to Rome, whither he accompanied Mr. Tallman. There he studied under Cavalier Luti, and in the academy gained the second prize of the second class. He also became acquainted with lord Burlington, whose sagacity discovered the rich vein of genius that had been hid even from himself; and, on their return to England in 1719, lodged him in his own house, and shewed for him all the marks of the most disinterested friendship. By his interest he was employed in various works, both as a painter in history and portrait; and yet there appear but very faint traces of that creative talent he displayed in a sister art. His portraits did not resemble the persons that sat for them. His colouring was worse than that of the most errant journeyman to the profession; and his drawing was defective, witness the hall at Wanstead, and his picture at St. Clement’s. Fie designed some of the drawings of Gay’s Fables, the prints for Spenser’s Fairy Queen, and the vignettes to the large edition of Pope’s works. In architecture, however, of the ornamental kind, he was deservedly admired he executed the temple of Venus at Stowe the earl of Leicester’s house at Holkham in Norfolk; the great hall at Mr. Pelham’s, Arlington-street; and the stair-case at lady Isabella Finch’s in Berkeley-square. Mr. Walpole considers him likewise as the inventor of modern gardening, in which it is certain that he excelled, and every thing in that branch has been since his time more natural, graceful, and pleasing. By the patronage of the dukes of Grafton and Newcastle, Mr. Pelham, and the earl of Burlington, he was made master-carpenter, architect, keeper of the pictures, and, after the death of Jervas, principal painter to the crown; the whole, including a pension of 100l. a year, which was given him for his works at Kensington, produced 600l. a year. In 1743 he was disordered in his eyes, but recovered, and in March 1748 an inflammation in his bowels put an end to his life at Burlington-house, April 12, 1748, aged sixty-three years. He was buried in lord Burlington’s vault at Chiswick.
ir Lloyd Kenyon continued till the latter end of May 1788, when, on the resignation of the venerable earl of Mansfield, who, for the long interval of thirty-two years,
, lord chief justice of the
King’s Bench, was born at Gredington, in Flintshire,
1733 and was the eldest surviving son of Lloyd Kenyon,
esq. originally of Bryno in the same county, and one of
the younger sons of the ancient family of Kenyon of
Peele in Lancashire. He received the elementary part of
his education at Ruthen in Denbighshire, whence he was
taken, at an early age, and articled to Mr. W. J. Tomlinson, an eminent attorney at Nantwich, in Cheshire. On
the expiration of his articles, Mr. Kenyon determined to
enter into a line which afforded a more ample scope to his
industry and talents, and, accordingly, became a member
of the Society of Lincoln’s Inn, in Trinity Term 1754, and
after a sedulous application to the requisite studies, was
called to the bar in Hilary Term 1761. In the early part
of his professional career, his advancement was but slow;
he was unassisted by those means which powerful connexion and interest afford. The branch of his profession to
which he chiefly applied himself, that of conveyancing,
was not calculated to bring him forward into public notice;
but the sterling merit of genuine abilities and persevering
industry were not to be overlooked. He rose gradually
into practice; few opinions at the bar, at the time, carried
more weight and authority, and he was frequently recurred to as an advocate. In 1773, he formed a matrimonial
connexion with his relative, Mary, the third daughter of
George Kenyon, of Peele and, not long after, contracted
an intimacy with Mr. afterwards lord Thurlow and chancellor. About this period too, and for some years after,
his practice in the Courtof Chancery was very extensive
and of the most lucrative kind, by which, as well as in the
other branches of his profession, he acquired a very considerable property. In 1780, a circumstance occurred
which not a little contributed to establish his reputation as
an advocate and a public speaker, his being employed as
leading counsel for the defence of the late lord George
Gordon, on a charge of high treason; on this interesting
occasion his second was Mr. now lord Erskine, who on
that day distinguished himself in such a manner as in a great
degree laid the foundation of his future fame. In April
1782, soon after the accession of the Rockingham party to
ministerial power, Mr. Kenyon was, without serving the intermediate office of solfcitor, appointed to the important
situation of attorney-general, and, at the same time, chief
justice of Chester; in the former office he succeeded the
late James Wallis, esq. The circumstance of his direct
promotion to the office of attorney-general was regarded
as a singular instance; this however is erroneous, similar
promotions have before occurred, and the case of sir Edward Law (the late attorney-general, now lord Ellenborough, his successor as lord chief justice), is a recent
instance. In parliament Mr. Kenyon took a decided part
in politics, warmly attaching himself to the party of Mr.
Pitt; and distinguishing himself not a little by his speeches
on the noted affair of the coalition, Mr. Fox’s India-bill,
&c. In March 1784 he was appointed master of the rolls,
an office of high judicial dignity, and generally leading to
still higher legal honours; yet its emoluments fell very
short of those which he necessarily relinquished by discontinuing his professional pursuits as a counsel. About this
time he was created a baronet. In this situation sir Lloyd
Kenyon continued till the latter end of May 1788, when,
on the resignation of the venerable earl of Mansfield, who,
for the long interval of thirty-two years, had held the honourable and very important office of chief justice of the
court of KingVbench, he was appointed to succeed him,
and at the same time was elevated to the peerage, by the
title of lord Kenyon, baron of Gredington in the county
of Flint. He was now fixed in a situation, which, though
not nominally the highest, is perhaps the most important
office in the administration of the law of this country; and
lord Kenyon furnished an instance nearly as striking as
that of the illustrious Hardwicke, that the profession of the
law is that which, of all others, affords the fairest opportunies for the exertion of genuine talents and persevering
industry; whether the object be the gratification of ambition in the attainment of the highest honours in the state,
or the possession of abundant wealth. His conduct in
those arduous and important situations attracted and
fixed the applauses and gratitude of his countrymen. He
was distinguished for his laudable, firm, and persevering
exertions to keep the channels of the law clear and unpolluted by low and sordid practices, which were particularly
exemplified in the vigilant and salutary exercise of his authority over the attorneys of his own court, the utility of
which has been experienced in a very considerable degree.
Nor was he less distinguished for his zeal in the cause of
morality and virtue, which most conspicuously appeared in
his conduct with respect to cases of adultery and seduction. On these occasions neither rank, wealth, nor station, could shield deliquency from the well-merited censure
and rebuke of offended justice and morality. Though
much, unhappily, remains to be done, yet his lordship’s
exertions, combined with those of some of the most virtuous and exalted characters of the upper House of Parliament, have contributed greatly, notwithstanding the acknowledged inadequacy and imperfection of the law in these
respects, to restrain the fashionable and prevailing vices
alluded to. What likewise redounded to the honour of his
lordship’s magisterial character, was the strictness, not to
say severity, with which he administered the justice of the
law against the pernicious tribe of gamblers of every description, who have for some years infested the metropolis.
On these occasions, as well as in those above mentioned,
the conduct of this truly virtuous judge was such as incontrovertibly shewed that “the law is no respecter of
persons;
” and his persevering exertions to restrain the destructive vice of gaming have been attended with no inconsiderable degree of success. Nor should we omit to mention the very laudable spirit and firmness, which on all occasions he evinced in maintaining due order and decorum
in his court. It was justly said of him, that though he
might not equal in talents or eloquence the pre-eminent
character whom he succeeded on the bench of justice; nevertheless, he possessed qualities mor*e appropriate to, and
knowledge more connected with, the important office which
he held. Profound in legal erudition, patient in judicial
discrimination, and of the most determined integrity, he
added no common lustre to his exalted station. He did
not sacrifice his official to his parliamentary character; the
sphere of his particular duty was the great scene of his
activity, as of his honour; and though, as a lord of parliament, he never lessened his character, it was as a judge
that he aggrandized it. In private life, the character of
lord Kenyon was amiable and praise- worthy in the highest
degree no man could excel him in the relations of husband and father in the former he may be considered as a
pattern of conjugal virtue. In his mode of living he was
remarkably temperate and regular; while the gratuitous
assistance in his professional capacity, which it was well
known he had often afforded to necessitous and injured individuals, is a proof that a fondness for money was not a
prevailing trait in his character. He died at Bath, April
2, 1802, supposed to be worth 300,000l. all acquired by
his own professional exertions, and a rigid spirit of economy. Lord Kenyon had issue by his lady, three sons;
Lloyd, born in 1775, whom his father appointed to the
office of filazer of the Court of King’s-bench; but who
died in 1800. The manner in which his lordship was affected by this melancholy event, is supposed, in some degree, to have accelerated his own dissolution. Secondly,
George, the present lord Kenyon, born in 1776. His lordship was appointed by his late father to the very lucrative
situation of joint chief clerk of the Court of King’s-bench,
on the demise of the late earl of Mansfield, better known
as lord viscount Stormont, and joined in the patent with
the late John Waye, esq. And, thirdly, the hon. Thomas
Kenyon, born in 1780,
, a celebrated English admiral, the second son of William earl of Albemarle, was born April 2, 1725. He entered the sea-service
, a celebrated English admiral,
the second son of William earl of Albemarle, was born
April 2, 1725. He entered the sea-service while he was
young, accompanied commodore Anson round the world,
and by the zeal which he manifested in his profession, was
raised to the first honours which it had to bestow. The
most important occurrence in his life took place in 1778,
when he had the command of the channel fleet, to which
he had been appointed at the personal and urgent solicitation of the king, and which he readily accepted, though he
could not help observing, that “his forty years’ services
were not marked by any favour from the crown, except
that of its confidence in the time of danger.
” On the 12th
of July he fell in with the French fleet, under count d'Orvilliers, off Ushant: an engagement ensued, which, though
partial, was very warm while it lasted. It was necessary
to take a short time to repair the damages: which being
done, the admiral made proper signals for the van and
rear division to take their respective stations. This order
was obeyed with great alacrity by sir Robert Harland of
the van, but admiral sir Hugh Palliser of the rear took no
notice of the signal, and refused to join his commander,
till night prevented a renewal of the battle. The French,
taking advantage of the darkness, escaped to their own.
coast. Admiral Keppel, willing to excuse sir Hugh Palliser, at least to screen him from public resentment, wrote
home such a letter as seemed even to imply great impropriety of behaviour in the commander himself. The conduct, however, of the rear-admiral was attacked in the
public papers: he demanded of his commander a formal
disavowal of the charges brought against him, which Keppel indignantly refused. He immediately exhibited articles of accusation against the commander-in-chief, for misconduct and neglect of duty, although he had a second
time sailed with him, and had never uttered a syllable to
his prejudice. The lords of the admiralty instantly fixed
a day for the trial of admiral Keppel, who was most
honourfcbly acquitted, and received the thanks of both houses of
parliament for his services. Palliser was next tried, and
escaped with a censure only, but the resentment of the
public was so great, that he was obliged to resign several
offices which he held under government, and to vacate his
seat in parliament. The acquittal of Keppel was celebrated with the most magnificent illuminations, and other
marks of rejoicing which had never been known at that
time in this country; and the houses of lord Sandwich,
first lord of the admiralty, and sir Hugh Palliser, were
with difficulty saved from destruction; the windows and
much of the furniture being demolished by the fury of the
populace. In 1782, admiral Keppel was raised to a peerage, with the titles of viscount Keppel baron Elden: he
was afterwards, at two different periods, appointed first
lord of the admiralty. He died Oct. 3, 1786, unmarried,
and of course his titles became extinct He was a thorough
seaman, and a man of great integrity and humanity.
ty, in 1662, by virtue of the Bartholomew act; but conforming soon after, he was presented by Arthur earl of Essex to the rectory 01 Raine, in Essex, 1664. Here he continued
, a very learned English bishop,
was born, as Wood says, at Brighthelmstone in Sussex, but
as others say, in Suffolk. In June 1649, he was admitted
sizar in Emanuel -college, Cambridge, where he took his degree of A. B. 1652, was elected fellow in 1655, and took his
degree of A. M. in 1656. He was presented by his college to the vicarage of Stanground, in Huntingdonshire;
from which he was ejected for nonconformity, in 1662, by
virtue of the Bartholomew act; but conforming soon after,
he was presented by Arthur earl of Essex to the rectory 01
Raine, in Essex, 1664. Here he continued till 1674,
when he was presented to the rectory of St. Martin’s Outwicb, London, by the Merchant-tailors company. In
September 1681, he was installed into a prebend of Norwich; and in 1689 made dean of Peterborough, in the
room of Simon Patrick, promoted to the see of Chichester.
On this occasion he took the degree of D. D. Upon the
deprivation of Ken, bishop of Bath and Wells, for not
taking the oaths to king William and queen Mary, and
Beveridge’s refusal of that see, Kidder was nominated in
June 1691, and consecrated the August following. In
1693 he preached the lecture founded by the honourable
Robert Boyle, being the second that preached it. His
sermons on that occasion are inserted in his “Demonstration of the Messias,
” in three parts; the first of which
was published in 1694, the second in 1699, and the third
in 1700, 8vo. It is levelled against the Jews, whom the
author was the better enabled to combat from his great
knowledge of the Hebrew and oriental languages, for
which he had long been celebrated. He wrote also, “A
Commentary on the Five Books of Moses; with a Disser
tation concerning the author or writer of the said books,
and a general argument to each of them.
” This commentary was published in 1694, in two volumes, 8vo; and the
reader in the preface is thus acquainted with the occasion
of it: “Many years are now passed since a considerable
number of the London clergy met together, and agreed
to publish some short notes upon the whole Bible, for the
use of families, and of all those well-disposed persons
that desired to read the Holy Scriptures to their greatest
advantage. At that meeting they agreed upon this worthy
design, and took their several shares, and assigued some
part to them who were absent. I was not present at that
meeting; but I was soon informed that they had assigned
to me the Pentateuch. The work was begun with common
consent; we did frequently meet; and what was done
was communicated from time to time to those that met together and were concerned. The methods of proceeding
had been adjusted and agreed to; a specimen was printed,
and an agreement was made when it should be put to the
press. I finished my part in order thereto; but so it fell
out, that soon after all this, the clouds began to gather
apace, and there was great ground to fear that the popish
party were attempting to ruin the church of England.
Hence it came to pass that the thoughts of pursuing this
design were laid aside; and those that were concerned in
it were now obliged to turn their studies and pens against
that dangerous enemy. During this time, also, some of
the persons concerned in this work were taken away by
death; and thus the work was hindered, that might else
have been finished long since. I, having drawn up my
notes upon this occasion, do now think myself obliged to
make them public,
” &c. To the first volume is prefixed
a dissertation, in which he sets down, and answers all the
objections made against Moses being the author of the
Pentateuch; and having considered, among the rest, one
objection drawn by Le Clerc, from Gen. xxxvi. 31, and
spoken in pretty severe terms of him, some letters passed
between them, which were printed by Le Clerc in his
“Bibliotheque Choisie.
” Dr. Kidder had likewise borne
a part in the popish controversy, during which he published the following tracts: 1 “A Second Dialogue between a new Catholic Convert and a Protestant; shewing
why he cannot believe the doctrine of Transubstantiation,
though he do firmly believe the doctrine of the Trinity.
”
2. “An Examination of Bellarmine’s Thirtieth note of the
Church, of the Confession of Adversaries.
” 3. “The
Texts which Papists cite out of the Bible for the proof of
their Doctrine, `of the Sacrifice of the Mass,' examined.
”
4. “Reflections on a French Testament, printed at Bourdeaux, 1686, pretended to be translated out of the Latin
by the divines of Louvain.
” He published also several
sermons and tracts of the devotional kind.
lowing, however, he was obliged to resign the chair, in favour of George lord de Ferrars, afterwards earl of Leicester and marquis Townsend, a majority of nearly two
, a learned and philosophical antiquary, was a native of Norfolk, where he was born in 1735, and having inherited from an uncle, Mr. Brown of Exeter, an ample fortune, was early enabled to pursue his inclinations, which led him chiefly to the study of antiquities. He was partly educated at Clare-hall, Cambridge, but afterwards entered of Lincoln’s-inn, and, we presume, studied the law, as he was afterwards chosen recorder of Lynn in Norfolk. He was elected F.R.S. in 1767, and F.S.A. in 1770; and to the Archecologia made various communications, which gave him such reputation with the society, that in 1784, on the demise of Dr. Milles, he was elected president, on which occasion he introduced a number of new regulations, and the appointment of two regular secretaries, and a draughtsman, to attend constantly. On St. George’s day following, however, he was obliged to resign the chair, in favour of George lord de Ferrars, afterwards earl of Leicester and marquis Townsend, a majority of nearly two to one having appeared against him. He afterwards printed a letter in vindication of himself, and reflecting upon the noble earl, and from that period ceased to make any communications to the society.
84,” printed in London, in 1684, in folio. As also the “Installation of Henry duke of Norfolk, Henry earl of Peterborough, and Laurence earl of Rochester, Windsor, July
Among his other literary labours were his composing a
pack of cards containing the arms of the English nobility,
in imitation of “Claud Oronce Fine Brianille;
” and “the
order of the installation of prince George of Denmark,
Charles duke of Somerset, and George duke of Northumberland, at Windsor, April 8, 1684,
” printed in London,
in Installation of Henry
duke of Norfolk, Henry earl of Peterborough, and Laurence earl of Rochester, Windsor, July 22, 1685,
” printed
in London in the same year, Natural and political
observations and conclusions upon the State and Condition
of England.
” Dying August 29, 1712, aged 63, he was
buried in the chancel of St. Bennet’s church, Paul’s Wharf,
where is a handsome mural monument of marble. He was
twice married, but left no issue.
Early in 1701, Dr. King was recalled to the busy scenes of life. His friend James the third earl of Anglesea (who had succeeded to that title April 1, 1690),
Early in 1701, Dr. King was recalled to the busy scenes of life. His friend James the third earl of Anglesea (who had succeeded to that title April 1, 1690), married Oct. 28, 1699, the lady Catharine Darnley, natural daughter to king James II. by Catharine countess of Dorchester, and had by her one daughter. After living together little more than a year, a dispute arose between them, which ended in a separation. Lord Anglesea solicited the assistance of Dr. King; and the force of friendship prevailed over his natural aversion to the wrangling of the bar. He complied with the request took abundant pains for his old friend, more than he was ever known to do and distinguished himself so in the earl’s defence, as shewed him to have had abilities in his profession equal to any occasion that might call for them, and effectually established his reputation in the character of a civilian, as he had already done in that of a polite writer.
uitting this kingdom cannot now be ascertained. It has been generally supposed that he went with the earl of Pembroke, who was appointed lord lieutenant in April 1707.
Notwithstanding the reputation acquired by Dr. King in
this cause, he never afterwards attained any striking eminence in a profession where constant assiduity and a long
course of years are requisites for the acquisition of fame.
Captivated by the rnuses, he neglected business, and by
degrees, as is natural to such tempers, began to dread and
abhor it. Heedless of those necessary supplies which a
due attention would actually have brought to his finances,
they were so much impaired by his neglect, and by the
gay course of life which he led, that he gladly accepted
the offer of preferment in Ireland; a sure sign that his
practice was then not very considerable, as he is perhaps
the only civilian that ever went to reside in Ireland after
once having experienced the emoluments of a settlement
in Doctors Commons. The exact period of his quitting this
kingdom cannot now be ascertained. It has been generally
supposed that he went with the earl of Pembroke, who
was appointed lord lieutenant in April 1707. But he was
certainly in Ireland much earlier, as we have a correct copy
of “Mully of Mountown,
” in
On Nov. 25, 1708, the earl of Wharton was appointed lord lieutenant. His secretary, Mr.
On Nov. 25, 1708, the earl of Wharton was appointed
lord lieutenant. His secretary, Mr. Addison, immediately
on his arrival in Ireland, was made keeper of the records;
and Dr. King returned to London, where he almost immediately gave the world those admirable instances of the
humour so peculiarly his own, by publishing “Useful
transactions in philosophy and other sorts of Learning.
”
The last of these, containing “A Voyage to the Island of
Cajamai in America,
” is one of the severest and most humourous satires that ever was written in prose.
. He still continued, however, to visit his friends in the metropolis, particularly his relation the earl of Clarendon, who resided in Somerset-house.
On Aug. 3, 1710, appeared the first number of “The
Examiner,
” the ablest vindication of the measures of the
queen and her new ministry. Swift be^an with No. 13,
and ended by writing part of No. 45 when Mrs.Mauley
took it up, and finished the first volume it was afterwards
resumed by Mr. Oldisworth, who completed four volumes
more, and published nineteen numbers of a sixth volume,
when the queen’s death put an end to the work. The
original institntors of that paper seem to have employed
Dr. King as their publisher, or ostensible author, before
they prevailed on their great champion to undertake that
task. It is not clear which part of the first ten numbers
were Dr. King’s; but he appears pretty evidently the
writer of No. H, Oct. 12 No. 12, Oct. 19 and No. 13,
Oct. 26 and this agrees with the account given by the
publisher of his posthumous works, who says he undertook
that paper about the 10th of October. On the 26th of
October, no Examiner at all appeared; and the next number, which was published Nov. 2, was written by Dr. Swift.
Our author’s warm zeal for the church, and his contempt
for the whigs (“his eyes,
” says Dr. Johnson, “were open to all the operations of whiggism
”), carried him naturally
on the side of Sacheverell; and he had a hand, in his dry
sarcastic way, in many political essays of that period. He
published, with this view, “A friendly Letter from honest
Tom Boggy, to the Rev. Mr. Goddard, canon of Windsor,
occasioned by a sermon preached at St. George’s chapel,
dedicated to her grace the duchess of Marlborough,
” A second Letter to Mr. Goddard, occasioned by the
late Panegyric given him by the Review, Thursday, July
13, 1710.
” These were succeeded by “A Vindication
of the Rev. Dr. Henry Sacheverell, from the false, scandalous, and malicious aspersions, cast upon him in a late
infamous pamphlet entitled ‘The Modern Fanatic;’ intended chiefly to expose the iniquity of the faction in general, without taking any particular notice of their poor
mad fool, Bisset, in particular in a dialogue between
a tory and a whig.
” This masterly composition had
scarcely appeared in the world before it was followed by
“Mr. Bisset’s Recantation in a letter to the Rev. Dr.
Sacheverell
” a singular banter on that enthusiast, whom
our author once more thought proper to lash, in “An Answer to a second scandalous book that Mr. Bisset is now
writing, to be published as soon as possible.
” Dr. White
Kennel’s celebrated sermon on the death of the first duke
of Devonshire, occasioned, amongst many other publications, a jeu d'esprit of Dr. King-, under the title of “An
Answer to Clemens Alexandrinus’s Sermon upon * Quis
Dives salvetur?‘ ’ What rich man can be saved' proving
it easy for a camel to get through the eye of a needle.
” In
Historical
account of the Heathen Gods and Heroes, necessary for
the understanding of the ancient Poets;
” a work still in
great esteem, and of which there have been several editions. About the same time he translated “Political considerations upon Refined Politics, and the Master-strokes
of State, as practised by the Ancients and Moderns, written by Gabriel Naude, and inscribed to the cardinal Bagni.
” At the same period also he employed himself on
“Rufinus, or an historical essay on the Favourite Ministry
under Theodosius and his son Arcadius with a poem
annexed, called ' Rufinus, or the Favourite.
” These were
written early in I
have settled Dr. King,
” says that great writer, “in the
Gazette; it will be worth two hundred pounds a year to
him. To-morrow I am to carry him to dine with the secretary.
” And in another letter, he tells the archbishop
of Dublin, “I have got poor Dr. King, who was some time
in Ireland, to be gazetteer; which will be worth two hundred and fifty pounds per annum to him, if he be diligent
and sober, for which I am engaged. I mention this because I think he was under your grace’s protection in Ireland.
” From what Swift te,lls the archbishop, and a hint
which he has in another place dropped, it should seem,
that our author’s finances were in such a state as to render
the salary of gazetteer no contemptible object to him. The
office, however, was bestowed on Dr. King in a manner
the most agreeable to his natural temper; as he had not
even the labour of soliciting for it. On the last day of
December, 1711, Dr. Swift, Dr. Freind, Mr. Prior, and
some other of Mr. secretary St. John’s friends, came to
visit him; and brought with them the key of the
Gazetteer’s office, and another key for the use of the paper-office,
which had just before been made the receptacle of a curious
collection of mummery, far different from the other contents of that invaluable repository. On the first of January
our author had the honour of dining with the secretary;
and of thanking him for his remembrance of him at a time
when he had almost forgotten himself. He entered on his
office the same day; but the extraordinary trouble he met
with in discharging its duties proved greater than he could
long endure. Mr. Barber, who printed the gazette, obliged
him to attend till three or four o'clock, on the mornings
when that paper was published, to correct the errors of
the press; a confinement which his versatility would never
have brooked, if his health would have allowed it, which at
this time began gradually to decline. And this, joined to
his natural indisposition to the fatigue of any kind of business, furnished a sufficient pretence for resigning his office
about Midsummer 1712. On quitting his employment he
retired to the house of a friend, in the garden-grounds
between Lambeth and Vauxhall, where he enjoyed himself principally in his library; or, amidst select parties, in
a sometimes too liberal indulgence of the bottle. He still
continued, however, to visit his friends in the metropolis,
particularly his relation the earl of Clarendon, who resided
in Somerset-house.
ng on the law line, he took his doctor’s degree in 1715; was secretary to the duke of Ormond and the earl of Arran, when chancellors of the university; and was made principal
, son of the rev. Peregrine King,
was born at Stepney, in Mfddlesex, in 1685; and, after
a school-education at Salisbury, was entered of Baliol-college, Oxford, July 9, 1701. Proceeding on the law line,
he took his doctor’s degree in 1715; was secretary to the
duke of Ormond and the earl of Arran, when chancellors
of the university; and was made principal of St. Maryhall, in 1718. When he was candidate for the university,
in 1722, he resigned his office of secretary; but his other
preferment he enjoyed (and it was all he did enjoy) to the
time of his death. Dr. Clarke, who opposed him, carried
his election; and, after this disappointment, 1727, he went
over to Ireland. With what design he went thither is to
us unknown; but his enemies say, it was for the purposes
of intrigue, and to expose himself to sale. But he says
himself, and there are no facts alleged to disprove it, “At
no time of my life, either in England or Ireland, either
from the present or any former government, have I asked,
or endeavoured by any means to obtain, a place, pension,
or employment, of any kind. 1 could assign many reasons
for my conduct; but one answer I have always ready: I
inherited a patrimony, which I found sufficient to supply
all my wants, and to leave me at liberty to pursue those
liberal studies, which afforded me the most solid pleasures
in my youth, and are the delight and enjoyment of my old
age. Besides, I always conceived a secret horror of a state
of servility and dependence: and I never yet saw a placeman or a courtier, whether in a higher or lower class,
whether a priest or a layman, who was his own master.
”
During his stay in Ireland, he is said to have written an
epic poem, called “The Toast,
” bearing the name of
Scheffer, a Laplander, as its author, and of Peregrine
O' Donald, esq. as its translator; which was a political
satire, and was printed and given away to friends, but never
sold. Dr. Warton says that the countess of Newburgh was
aimed at in this satire.
er artists of the kingdom, he removed from Ipswich to London, where he obtained the patronage of the earl of Bute. This nobleman introduced him to his present majesty
On being admitted to the friendship and intimacy of sir
Joshua Reynolds, Hogarth (who furnished the curious frontispiece to his perspective), and most of the other artists of
the kingdom, he removed from Ipswich to London, where
he obtained the patronage of the earl of Bute. This nobleman introduced him to his present majesty when prince
of Wales, by whom he was ever after highly and deservedly honoured. He was made clerk of the works at
Kew, and under his majesty’s patronage, who defrayed
the expence of the plates, he published in 1761 his very
splendid work, “The Perspective of Architecture,
” 2 vols.
folio. Tn this work Mr. Kirby wholly confined himself to
architectural representations; and gave a variety of designs, elegantly drawn and engraved, which he submitted
as “new principles for a complete system of the perspective of architecture, both as it relates to the true delineation of objects, and the doctrine of light and shadow.
”
Mr. Edwards, however, remarks, as a curious circumstance,
that the plates of this work contain no example of architectural features disposed obliquely to the picture; a circumstance from which he would infer that Mr. Kirby was
no great adept in architecture, and that his practice in perspective was not very comprehensive, especially as his first
work is equally deficient with the last in what relates to
mouldings, when inclined to the picture, which position, if
not the most abstruse in theory, is yet among the most
troublesome in operation, and therefore ought to have
been demonstrated.
ounty. In 1768 he published a third edition of his treatise on perspective, with a dedication to the earl of Bute. He was a member both of the royal aud antiquary societies;
Before the appearance of this work he wrote a pamphlet
in vindication of the fame of Dr. Brook Taylor, which was
indirectly struck at in the translation of a treatise on perspective by a foreigner. This pamphlet (which has no date) was entitled “Dr. Brook Taylor’s Method of Perspective, compared with the examples lately published on
the subject, as Sirigatti'i,
” 4to. In
where, having: taken his degree of B. A. in 1702, and of M. A. in 1706 he became chaplain to Edward earl of Orford, who presented him to the vicarage of Chippenham,
, an English antiquary and biographer, was a native of London (where his father was freje of the Mercers’ company), and received the early part of his education at St. Paul’s school. He was thence admitted of Trinity college, Cambridge, where, having: taken his degree of B. A. in 1702, and of M. A. in 1706 he became chaplain to Edward earl of Orford, who presented him to the vicarage of Chippenham, and also to the rectory of Borough- green in Cambridgeshire, to which last he was instituted Nov. 3, 1707. He afterwards was collated by bishop Moore to a prebendal stall in the church of Ely, June 8, 1714 and presented by him to the rectory of Bluntesham in Huntingdonshire, June 22, 1717. He was made chaplain to George II. in Feb. 1730-1, and promoted by bishop Sherlock to the archdeaconry of Berks, 1735. He died December 10, 1746, in the 72d year of his age, and was buried in the chancel of Bluntesham church, where a neat monument of white marble is erected to his memory, with an inscription written by his friend Mr. Castle, dean of Hereford. His only son, Samuel, was fellow of Trinity college, Cambridge, and rector of Fulham, in Middlesex. With the ample fortune which his father left him, he purchased the manor of Milton near Cambridge, and died Jan. 1790.
in the utmost devotion. He was interred at Edinburgh, several lords attending, and particularly the earl of Morton, that day chosen regent, who, as soon as he was laid
In 1567, Knox preached a sermon at the coronation of James VI. of Scotland, and afterwards the First of Great Britain and also another at the opening of the parliament. He went vigorously on with the work of reformation but, in 1572, was greatly offended with a convention of ministers at Leith, where it was agreed that a certain kind of episcopacy should be introduced into the church. At this time his constitution was quite broken; and what seems to have given him the finishing stroke was the dreadful news of the massacre of the Protestants at Paris about this time. He had strength enough to preach against it, which he desired the French ambassador might be acquainted with; but he fell sick soon after, and died November 24, 1572, after having spent several days in the utmost devotion. He was interred at Edinburgh, several lords attending, and particularly the earl of Morton, that day chosen regent, who, as soon as he was laid in his grave, said, u There lies he who never feared the face of man, who hath been often threatened with dag and dagger, but yet hath ended his days in peace and honour. For he had God’s providence watching over him in a special manner, when his very life was sought."
He was a native of Cheshire; and in his early years, under the patronage and friendship of the late earl of Cholmondely, mixed in all the more exalted scenes of polished
was many years
rector of Stamford Rivers, near Ongar, in Essex; and
author of the celebrated “Essay on Delicacy,
” Select Letters between the late Dutchess of Somerset, Lady Luxborough,
” &c. &c. He w;is a man of strong natural parts, gieat erudition, refined taste, and master of
a nervous, and at the same time elegant style, as is obvious
to every one who has had the happiness to read the Essay
here spoken of. His writings were fewer in number than
their author’s genius seemed to promise to his friends, and
his publications less known than their intrinsic excellence
deserved. Had he been as solicitous as he was capable to
instruct and please the world, few prose writers would
have surpassed h m; but in his latter years he lived a recluse, and whatever he composed in the hours of retired
leisure, he (unhappily for the public) ordered to be burned,
which was religiously (I had almost said irreligiously) performed. He was a native of Cheshire; and in his early
years, under the patronage and friendship of the late earl
of Cholmondely, mixed in all the more exalted scenes of
polished life, where his lively spirit and brilliant conversation rendered him universally distinguished and esteemed;
and even till within a few months of his decease (near seventy-five years of age) these faculties could scarce be
said to be impaired. The Essay on Delicacy (of which we are now speaking) the only material work of his which
the editor knows to have survived him, was first printed in
1748, and has been very judiciously and meritoriously
preserved by the late Mr. Dodsley in his Fugitive Pieces.
”
Notwithstanding Mr. Hull’s assertion, that his uncle wrote
nothing but the “Essay,
” a sermon of his, under the
title of“Public Virtue, or the Love of our Country,
” was
printed in The Old Serpent, or
Methodism Triumphant,
” 4to. The doctor’s imprudence
involved him so deeply in debt, that he was some time
confined for it, and left his parsonage-house in so ruinous
a condition, that his successor Dr. Beadon was forced entirely to take it down. He died June 20, 1775, leaving
two daughters, one of whom married to the rev. Thomas
Wetenhall, of Chester, chaplain of a man of war, and
vicar of Walthamstow, Essex, from 1759 till his death,
1776.
lague which broke out about that time, prevented his reading. In 1640 he was counsel for the unhappy earl of Strafford; and soon after was made attorney to prince Charles.
, knt. lord chief baron of the exchequer, was born in the latter part of the sixteenth century,
and was the son of Richard Lane of Courtenhall in Northamptonshire, by Elizabeth his wife, daughter of Clement
Vincent of Harpole, in the same county. He studied law
in the Middle Temple, with great success, and being
called to the bar, became eminent in his profession. In
the 5th Charles I. he was elected Lent reader of his inn,
but the plague which broke out about that time, prevented
his reading. In 1640 he was counsel for the unhappy earl
of Strafford; and soon after was made attorney to prince
Charles. As the Long-parliament grew more capricious
and tyrannical in its proceedings, he began to be alarmed
for his property, and entrusted his intimate friend Buistrode Whitlocke, with his chamber in the Middle Temple,
his goods and library; and leaving London, joined the
king at Oxford, where, in 1643, he was made serjeant at
law, lord chief baron of the exchequer, a knight, and one
of his majesty’s privy council. The university also conferred on him the degree of LL. D. “with more,
” says
Wood, “than ordinary ceremony.
” In the latter end of
the following year, he was nominated one of his majesty’s
commissioners to treat of peace with the parliament at Uxbridge, and on Aug. 30, 1645, he had the great seal delivered to him at Oxford, on the death of Edward lord
Littleton. In May and June 1646, he was one of the
commissioners appointed to treat with the parliament for
the surrender of the garrison of Oxford, apd soon alter
went abroad to avoid the general persecution of the
royalists which the parliament meditated. He died in the
island of Jersey in 1650, or 1651, Wood tells a strange
story of the fate of the goods he entrusted to Whitlocke.
He says, that during sir Richard’s residence abroad, lm
son applied to Whitlocke, who would not own that he
knew such a man as sir Richard, and kept the goods. That
this story is not without foundation, appears from Whitlocke’s receipt for his pension, &c. printed by Peck, to
which he adds, “And I have likewise obtained some bookes
and manuscripts, which were the lord Littleton’s; and some
few bookes and manuscripts, which were sir Richard Lane’s;
in all worth about So/.
” Sir Richard Lane’s “Reports in
the court of Exchequer in the reign of king James,
” were
published in
ed a dispensation from the pope, for the marriage of William duke of Normandy with a daughter of the earl of Flanders his cousin. On his return to France, he rebuilt
, archbishop of Canterbury in the eleventh century, was an Italian, and born in 1005 at Pavia, being son of a counsellor to the senate of that town; but, losing his father in his infancy, he went to Bologna. Hence, having prosecuted his studies for some time, he removed into France in the reign of Henry I. and taught some time at Avranches, where he had many pupils of high rank. In a journey to Rouen, he had the misfortune to be robbed, and tied to a tree on the road, where he remained till next day, when being released by some passengers, he retired to the abbey of Bee, lately founded, and there took the monk’s habit in 1041. He was elected prior of this religious house in 1044; and opened a school, which in a little time became very famous, and was frequented by students from all parts of Europe. Amongst others, some of the scholars of Berenger, archdeacon of Angers, and master of the school at Tours, left that, and went to study at the abbey of Bee. This, it is said, excited the envy of Berenger, and gave rise to a long and violent controversy between him and Lanfranc, on the subject of the eucharist. (See Berengarius). In 1049, Lanfranc took a journey to Rome, where he declared his sentiments to pope Leo IX. against the doctrine of Berenger; for Berenger had xvritten him a letter, which gave room to suspect Lanfranc to be of his opinion. Soon after, he assisted in the council of Verceil, where he expressly opposed Berenger’s notions. He returned a second time to Rome in 1059, and assisted in the council held at the Lateran by pope Nicholas II. in which Berenger abjured the doctrine that he had till then maintained. Lanfranc now obtained a dispensation from the pope, for the marriage of William duke of Normandy with a daughter of the earl of Flanders his cousin. On his return to France, he rebuilt his abbey at Bee; but was soon removed from it by the duke of Normandy, who in 1062 made him abbot of St. Stephen’s at Caen in that province, where he established a new academy, which became no less famous than his former one at Bee. This duke, coming to the crown of England, sent for Lanfranc, who was elected archbishop of Canterbury in 1070, in the room of Stigand, who had been deposed by the pope’s legate. He was no sooner consecrated to this see, than he wrote to pope Alexander II. begging leave to resign it; which not being complied with, he afterwards sent ambassadors to Rome to beg the pall; but Hildebrand answering, in the pope’s name, that the pall was not granted to any person in his absence (which was not strictly true, as it had been sent to Austin, Justus, and Honorius), he went thither to receive that honour in 1071. Alexander paid him a particular respect, in rising to give him audience this pontiff, indeed, had a special regard for him, having studied under him in the abbey of Bee and kissed him, instead of presenting his slipper for that obeisance, nor was he satisfied with giving him the usual pall, but invested him with that pall of which he himself had made use in celebrating mass. Before his departure, Lanfranc defended the metropolitical rights of his see against the claims of the archbishop of York, and procured them to be confirmed by a national council in 1075, wherein several rules of discipline were established. At length, presuming to make remonstrances to the Conqueror upon some oppressions of the subjects, though he offered them with a becoming respect, the monarch received them with disdain and asked him, with an oath, if he thought it possible for a king to keep all his promises From this time, our archbishop lost his majesty’s favour, and was observed afterwards with a jealous eye. He enjoyed, however, the favour of William II. during the remainder of his life. Some years before this, Gregory VII. having summoned him several times to come to Rome, to give an account of his faith, at length sent him a citation to appear there in four months, on pain of suspension: Lanfranc, however, did not think proper to obey the summons. He died May 28, 1089.
the ecclesiastical immunities. A remarkable suit, which he carried against Odo, bishop of Bayeux and earl of Kent, put him in possession of five and twenty estates, which
Several of our ancient historians who were almost his contemporaries, speak in very advantageous terms of the genius and erudition of Lanfranc; and some of them who were personally acquainted with him, represent him as the most learned man of the age in which he flourished. His charity is said to have been so great, that he bestowed in that way no less than 500l. a year, a very great sum in those days, and equal to 1500l. in ours. Besides this he rebuilt the cathedral of Canterbury, re-established the chapter there, founded the hospitals of St. Nicholas at Herbaldown and St. John at Canterbury, repaired several churches and monasteries in his diocese, obtained a restoration of the estates of the church which had been alienated, and maintained the ecclesiastical immunities. A remarkable suit, which he carried against Odo, bishop of Bayeux and earl of Kent, put him in possession of five and twenty estates, which had been usurped by that prelate. Lanfranc, besides his piece against Berenger already mentioned, wrote several others, which were published in one volume, folio, in 1647, by father Luke D'Achery, a Benedictine monk, of the congregation of St. Maur. They consist of commentaries on the epistles of St. Paul, and on the Psalms a treatise on confession, letters, &C.
, wnich had a more fortunate issue. Through his (oediation a peace was made betwixt the king and the earl of Flanders, who had been at variance upon the account of the
The death of pope Urban happened at a period, as it was thought, critical to the affairs of the cardinal, as well as to those of the two kingdoms of England and France, as he had just appointed him to mediate a peace between them. But Gregory the Eleventh, who succeeded Urban, as sensible of his merit as his predecessor, confirmed his appointment, and even enlarged his powers. This treaty Tailing, as nad been foreseen by the cardinal, he proceeded from Melun, the place where he had met cardinal de Beauvois, to England with the sense of the French court upon the negotiation. Although unsuccessful in this business, he had, whilst abroad, an opportunity of displaying his diplomatic talents, wnich had a more fortunate issue. Through his (oediation a peace was made betwixt the king and the earl of Flanders, who had been at variance upon the account of the earl’s breaking his engagement to marry his daughter to Edmund earl of Cambridge, and betrothing her to Philip, the brother of Charles the Fifth, king of France. In the beginning of 1372, cardinal Langham left England in order to return to the pope; and when he arrived at Avignon, he found that his conduct had, during the course of his mission, been misrepresented to the pope, but he so amply satisfied his holiness on that point, that, in the same year, he elevated him to the dignity of cardinal bishop of Praeneste. On the death of Wittelsey, who succeeded him as archbishop of Canterbury, the monks endeavoured to persuade the king to allow Langham to return; but the king was enraged at their insolence, and in this was seconded by the pope, who preferred employing the cardinal at Avignon, where the affairs of the holy see rendered his presence necessary. From this situation, however, Langham had a strong desire to remove, and visit his native country, where he had projected some architectural plans, and meant to devote a large sum of money to the rebuilding of the abbey at Westminster. With this view he procured some friends at court to solicit leave to return, and their applications were successful; but before he could know the issue, he died suddenly of a paralytic stroke, July 22, 1376. His body was, according to 'the direction of his will, first deposited in a new-built church of the Carthusians, near the place of his decease, where it remained for three years. It was then with great state and solemnity removed to Saint Benet’s chapel, in Westminster abbey, where his tomb with his effigy upon it, and the arms of England, the monastery of Saint Peter, and the sees of Canterbury and Ely, engraved in tablets around it, still remains.
mation. In 1603, Laud was one of the proctors; and the same year became- chaplain to Charles Blonnt, earl of Devonshire, whom he inconsiderately married, Dec. 26, 1605,
, archbishop of Canterbury, was son of William Laud, a clothier of Heading, in Berkshire, by Lucy his wife, widow of John Robinson, of the same place, and sister to sir William Webbe, afterwards lord-mayor of London, in 1591. His father died in 1594, leaving his son, after his mother’s decease, the house which he inhabited in Broad-street, and two others in Swallowfield; 1200l. in money, and the stock in trade. The widow was to have the interest of half the estate during her life. She died in 1600. These circumstances, although in themselves of little importance, it is necessary to mention as a contradiction to the assertion of Prynne, that he was of poor and obscure parents, which was repeated by lord Say, in the house of peers. He was born at Reading, Oct. 7, 1573, and educated at the free-school there, till July 1589; when, removing to St. John’s college, in Oxford, he became a scholar of the house in 1590, and fellow in 1593. He took the degree of A. B. in 1594, and that of master in 1598. He was this year chosen grammarlecturer; and being ordained priest in 1601, read, the following year, a divinity-lecture in his college, which was then supported by Mrs. Maye. In some of these chapel exercises he maintained against the puritans, the perpetual visibility of the church of Rome till the reformation; by which he incurred the displeasure of Dr. Abbot, then vice-chancellor of the university, who maintained that the visibility of the church of Christ might be deduced through other channels to. the time of that reformation. In 1603, Laud was one of the proctors; and the same year became- chaplain to Charles Blonnt, earl of Devonshire, whom he inconsiderately married, Dec. 26, 1605, to Penelope, then wife of Robert lord Rich; an affair that exposed him afterwards to much censure, and created him great uneasiness; in reality, it made so deep an impression upon him, that he ever after kept that day as a day of fasting and humiliation.
nue, and appointed one of the commissioners of the treasury, March the 4th, upon the death of Weston earl of Portland. Besides this, he was, tvVo days after, called into
In 1634 our archbishop did the poor Irish clergy a very important service, by obtaining for them, from the king, a grant of all the impropriations then remaining in the crown. He also improved and settled the revenues of the London clergy in a better manner than before. On Feb. 5, 1634-5, he was put into the great committee of trade, and the king’s revenue, and appointed one of the commissioners of the treasury, March the 4th, upon the death of Weston earl of Portland. Besides this, he was, tvVo days after, called into the foreign committee, and had likewise the sole disposal of whatsoever concerned the church; but he fell into warm disputes with the lord^Cottington, chancellor of the exchequer, who took all opportunities of imposing upon him . After having continued for a year commissioner of the treasury, and acquainted himself with the mysteries of it, he procured the lord-treasurer’s staff" for Dr. William Juxon, who had through his interest been successively advanced to the presidentship of St. John’s college, deanery of Worcester, clerkship of his majesty’s closet, and bishopric of London, as already noticed in our life of Juxon. For some years Laud had set his heart upon getting the English liturgy introduced into Scotland; and some of the Scottish bishops hud, under his direction, prepared both that book and a collection of canons for public service; the canons were published in 1635, but the liturgy came not in use till 1637. On the day it was first read at St. Giles’s church, in Edinburgh, it occasioned a most violent tumult among the people, encouraged by the nobility, who were losers by the restitution of episcopacy, and by the ministers, who lost their clerical government. Laud, having been the great promoter of that affair, was reviled for it in the most abusive manner, and both he and the book were charged with downright popery. The extremely severe prosecution carried on about the same time in the star-chamber, chiefly through his instigation, against Prynne, Bastwick, and Burton, did him also infinite prejudice, and exposed him to numberless libels and reflections; though he endeavoured to vindicate his conduct in a speech delivered at their censure, June 14, 1637, which was published by the king’s command. Another rigorous prosecution, carried on with his concurrence, in the star-chamber, was against bishop Williams, an account of which may be seen in his article, as also of Lambert Osbaldiston, master of Westminster school.
rvice-book among them. In this state of general discontent, he was not only examined, Dec. 4, on the earl of Strafford’s case, but, when the Commons came to debate upon
It can be no wonder that his ruin should appear certain, considering his many and powerful enemies; almost the whole body of the puritans; many of the English nobility and others; and the bulk of the Scotch nation. The puritans considered him as the sole author of the innovations and of the persecutions against them; the nobility could not brook his warm and imperious manner, and his grasping at the office of prime-minister; and the Scots were excited to rebellion, by the restoring of episcopal government, and the introduction ol the English service-book among them. In this state of general discontent, he was not only examined, Dec. 4, on the earl of Strafford’s case, but, when the Commons came to debate upon the late canons and convocation, he was represented as the author of them; and a committee was appointed to inquire into all his actions, and prepare a charge against him on the 16th. The same morning, in the House of Lords, he was named as an incendiary, in an accusation from the Scottish commissioners; and, two days after, an impeachment of high-treason was carried up to the lords by Denzil Holies, desiring he might be forthwith sequestered from parliament, and committed, and the Commons would, in a convenient time, resort to them with particular articles. Soon after, the Scotch commissioners presented also to the upper House the charge against him, tending to prove liim an incendiary, and he was immediately committed to the custody of the black rod. After ten weeks, sir Henry Vane, junior, brought up, Feb. 26, fourteen articles against him, which they desired time to prove in particular, and, in the mean time, that he be kept safe. Accordingly, the black rod conveyed him to the Tower, March 1, 1640-1, amidst the insults and reproaches of the mob.
our separated from those of treason; to which the celebrated lawyer, Maynard, answered, that, in the earl of Strafford’s trial, he was put to answer every day the particular
On Tuesday, March 12, 1643-4, the trial was opened in
form; the original and additional articles of impeachment
were read, and, after that, the archbishop’s answer, plea,
and demurrer to them. He requested that the charge and
evidence to all the articles might be given together; and
the articles of misdemeanour separated from those of treason; to which the celebrated lawyer, Maynard, answered,
that, in the earl of Strafford’s trial, he was put to answer
every day the particular evidence given that day; that they
were now only to try matters of fact, not of law, and that
all the articles collectively, not any one separately, made
up the charge of treason. Serjeant Wilde then made a
long speech, upon the charge of high treason, insisting
chiefly upon the archbishop’s attachment to popery, and
his intention to introduce it into England; concluding with
these words, that “Naaman was a great man, but he was
a leper,
” and that the archbishop’s leprosy had so infected
all, “as there remained no other cure but the sword of
justice.
” The archbishop replied to the several charges,
and mentioned various persons whom he had brought back
from the Romish religion, particularly sir William Webbe,
his kinsman, and two of his daughters; his son lui took
from him; and, his father being utterly decayed, bred
him at his own charge, and educated him in the protestant
religion. The trial lasted above twenty days, and on Sept.
2, 1644, the archbishop made a recapitulation of the whole
cause; but, as soon as he came into the House, he saw
every lord present with a new thin book in folio, in a blue
cover; which was his “Diary,
” which Prynne, as already
mentioned, had robbed him of, and printed with notes of
his own, to disgrace the archbishop. On Sept. 11, Mr.
Brown delivered, in the House of Lords, a summary of
the whole charge, with a few observations on the archbishop’s answer. The queries of his counsel on the law of
treason was referred to a committee which ordered his
counsel to be heard on Oct. 11, when Mr. Herne delivered
his argument with great firmness and resolution. The lord
chancellor Finch told archbishop Sancroft that the argument was sir Matthew Hale’s, afterwards lord chief justice;
and that being then a young lawyer, he, Mr. Finch, stood
behind Mr. Herne, at the bar of the house, and took notes
of it, which he intended to publish in his reports. With
this argument, the substance of which may be seen in our
authorities, the trial ended for that day; but, after this, a
petition was sent about London, “for bringing delinquents
to justice;
” and many of the preachers exhorted the people
to sign it; so that with a multitude of hands, it was delivered to the House of Commons, on Oct. 8. The archbishop was summoned on Nov. 2, to the House of Commons, to hear the whole charges, and to make his defence,
which he did at large, Nov. 11. On the following Wednesday Mr. Brown replied and after the archbishop was
dismissed, the House called for the ordinance, and without
hearing his counsel, voted him guilty of high treason.
After various delays, the Lords had a conference with the
Commons, on Dec. 24, in which they declared, “that they
had diligently weighed all things charged against the archbishop, but could not, by any one of them, or all, find
him guilty of treason.
” The judges had unanimously made
the same declaration. At the second conference, on Jan.
2, 1644-5, the reasons of the Commons for the attainder
of the archbishop were communicated to the Lords, who
in a very thin house, passed the ordinance that he should
suffer death by hanging, which was fixed for Friday the
10th. He pleaded the king’s pardon, under the great seal,
which was over-ruled, and rejected, without being read,
and the only favour granted, and that after delay and with
reluctance, was, that his sentence should be changed to
beheading.
geries and gross impositions on the public. In a letter humbly addressed to the right honourable the earl of Bath,” 1751, 8vo. The appearance of this detection overwhelmed
, a native of Scotland, the author
of a remarkable forgery, was educated at the university of
Edinburgh, where he finished his studies with great reputation, and acquired a considerable knowledge of the
Latin tongue. He afterwards taught with success the
Latin tongue to some students who were recommended to
him by the professors. In 1734, Mr. professor Watt falling ill of that sickness of which he died, Lauder taught for
him the Latin class, in the college of Edinburgh, and
tried, without success, to be appointed professor in his
room. He failed also in his application for the office of
librarian. In Feb. 1739, he stood candidate, with eight
others, for the place of one of the masters of the high
school; but, though the palm of literature was assigned by
the judges to Lauder, the patrons of the school preferred
one of his opponents. In the same year he published at
Edinburgh an edition of “Johnston’s Psalms,
” or rather a
collection of Sacred Latin poetry, in 2 vols, but his hopes
of profit from this were disappointed. In 1742, although
he was recommended by Mr. Patrick Cuming and Mr.
Colin Maclaurin, professors of church history and mathematics, to the mastership of the grammar-school at Dundee, then vacant, we find him, the same year, in London,
contriving to ruin the reputation of Milton; an attempt
which ended in the destruction of his own. His reason for
the attack has been referred to the virulence of violent
party-spirit, which triumphed over every principle of
honour and honesty. He began first to retail part of his
design in “The Gentleman’s Magazine,
” in An Essay on Milton’s Use and Imitation
of the Moderns in his Paradise Lost,
” 8vo. The fidelity
of his quotations had been doubted by several people; and
the falsehood of them was soon after demonstrated by Dr.
Douglas, late bishop of Salisbury, in a pamphlet, entitled
“Milton vindicated from the Charge of Plagiarism brought
against him by Lauder, and Lauder himself convicted of
forgeries and gross impositions on the public. In a letter
humbly addressed to the right honourable the earl of Bath,
”
Johnston’s Psalms.
” This misfortune he ascribed to a couplet in Mr. Pope’s Dunciad,
book iv. ver. iii. and thence originated his rancour against
Milton. He afterwards imputed his conduct to other motives, abused the few friends who continued to countenance
him; and, finding that his own character was not to be
retrieved, quitted the kingdom, and went to Barbadoes,
where he was for some time master of the free-school in
Bridgetown, but was discharged for misconduct, and passed
the remainder of his life in universal contempt. “He
died,
” says Mr. Nichols, “sometime about the year 1771,
as my friend Mr. Reed was informed by the gentleman
who read the funeral-service over him.
” It may be added,
that notwithstanding Lauder’s pretended regret for his attack on Milton, he returned to the charge in 1754, and
published a pamphlet entitled “The Grand Impostor detected, or Milton convicted of forgery against Charles I.
”
which was reviewed in the Gent. Mag. of that year, probably by Johnson.
ntlemen of the four inns of court, under the direction of Noy the attorney- general, Hyde afterwards earl of Clarendon, Selden, Whitelock, and others. Whitelock has given
Twenty years before, in 1633, Lawes had been chosen
to assist in composing the airs, lessons, and songs of a
masque, presented at Whitehall on Candlemas-night, before the king and queen, by the gentlemen of the four inns
of court, under the direction of Noy the attorney- general,
Hyde afterwards earl of Clarendon, Selden, Whitelock,
and others. Whitelock has given an account of it in his
“Memorials,
” &c. Lawes also composed tunes to Mr.
George Sandys’s “Paraphrase on the Psalms,
” published
in Comus
” was originally set by him,
and published in Comus
” was never printed and there is nothing in any
of the printed copies of the poem, or in the many accounts
of Milton, to ascertain the form in which it was composed.
Lawes taught music to the family of the earl of Bridgewater: he was intimate with Milton, as may be conjectured
Lawes taught music to the family of the earl of Bridgewater: he was intimate with Milton, as may be conjectured
from that sonnet of the latter, “Harry, whose tuneful and
well-measured song.
” Peck says, that Milton wrote his
masque of “Comus
” at the request of Lawes, who engaged
to set it to music. Most of the songs of Waller are set by
Lawes; and Waller has acknowledged his obligation to
him for one in particular, which he had set in 1635, in a
poem, wherein he celebrates his skill as a musician. Fenton, in a note on this poem, says, that the best poets of
that age were ambitious of having their verses set by this
incomparable artist; who introduced a softer mixture of
Italian airs than before had been practised in our nation.
Dr. Burney entertains another kind of suspicion. “Whether,
” says this historian, “Milton chose Lawes, or Lawes
Milton for a colleague in Comus, it equally manifests the
high rank in which he stood with the greatest poets of his
time. It would be illiberal to cherish such an idea; but
it does sometimes seem as if the twin-sisters. Poetry and
Music, were mutually jealous of each other’s glory: * the
less interesting my sister’s offspring may be,‘ says Poetry,
* the more admiration will my own obtain.’ Upon asking
some years ago, why a certain great prince continued to
honour with such peculiar marks of favour, an old performer on the flute, when he had so many musicians of
superior abilities about him? We were answered, * because he plays worse than himself.' And who knows whether Milton and Waller were not secretly influenced by
some such consideration? and were not more pleased with
Lawes for not pretending to embellish or enforce the sentiments of their songs, but setting them to sounds less
captivating than the sense.
”
preceding, w placed early in life under Coperario, for his musical education, at the expence of the earl of Hertford. His first preferment was in the choir of Chichester,
, brother to the preceding, w
placed early in life under Coperario, for his musical education, at the expence of the earl of Hertford. His first
preferment was in the choir of Chichester, but he was
soon called to London, where, in 1602, he was sworn a
gentleman of the chapel royal; which place, however, he
resigned in 1611, and became one of the private, or chamber-musicians, to Charles, then prince and afterwards king.
Fuller says, “he was respected and beloved of all such
persons as cast any looks towards virtue and honour:
” and
he seems well entitled to this praise. He manifested his
gratitude and loyalty to his royal master by taking up arms
in his cause against the parliament. And though, to
exempt him from danger, lord Gerrard, the king’s general, made him a commissary in the royal army, yet the
activity of his spirit disdaining this intended security, at
the siege of Chester, 1645, he lost his life by an accidental
shot. The king is said, by Fuller, to have been so affected
at his loss, that though he was already in mourning for his
kinsman lord Bernard Stuart, killed at the same siege, his
majesty put “on particular mourning for his dear servant
William Lawes, whom he commonly called the father of
music.
”
inest first-rate in the navy, of which he was appointed, Jan. 1701, first captain of three under the earl of Pembroke, newly made lord high admiral of England. This was
, a brave and successful English admiral, son of the preceding, was born in 1656, at Rotherhithe, in Surrey. His father instructed him both in mathematics and gunnery, with a view to the navy, and entered him early into that service as a midshipman; in which station he distinguished himself, under his father, at the above-mentioned engagement between sir Edward Spragge and Van Trump, in 1673, beingt'nen no more than seventeen years old. Upon the conclusion of that war soon after, hfc engaged in the merchants’ service, and had the command of a ship two or three voyages up the Mediterranean; but his inclination lying to the navy, he did not long remain unemployed in it. He had indeed refused a lieutenant’s commission; but this was done with a view to the place of master-gunner, which was then of much greater esteem than it is at present. When his father was advanced, not long after, to the command of a yacht, he gladly accepted the offer of succeeding him in the post of gunner to the Neptune, a second-rate man of war. This happened about 1675; and, the times being peaceable, he remained in this post without any promotion till 1688. James II. having then resolved to fit out a strong fleet, to prevent the invasion from Holland, Leake had the command of the Firedrake fireship, and distinguished himself by several important services; particularly, by the relief of Londonderry in Ireland, which was chiefly effected by his means. He was in the Firedrake in the fleet under lord Dartmouth, when the prince of Orange landed; after which he joined the rest of the protestant officers in an address to the prince. The importance of rescuing Londonderry from the hands of king James raised him in the navy; and, after some removes, he had the command given him of the Eagle, a third-rate of 70 guns. In 1692, the distinguished figure he made in the famous battle off La Hogue procured him the particular friendship of Mr. (afterwards admiral) Churchill, brother to the duke of Marlborough; and he continued to behave on all occasions with great reputation till the end of the war; when, upon concluding the peace of Ryswick, his ship was paid off, Dec. 5, 1697. In 1696, on the death of his father, his friends had procured for him his father’s places of mastergunner in England, and store- keeper of Woolwich, but these he declined, being ambitious of a commissioner’s place in the navy; and perhaps he might have obtained it, had not admiral Churchill prevailed with him not to think of quitting the sea, and procured him a commission for a third-rate of 70 guns in May 1699. Afterwards, upon the prospect of a new war, he was removed to the Britannia, the finest first-rate in the navy, of which he was appointed, Jan. 1701, first captain of three under the earl of Pembroke, newly made lord high admiral of England. This was the highest station he could have as a captain, and higher than any private captain ever obtained either before or since. But, upon the earl’s removal, to make way for prince George of Denmark, soon after queen Anne’s accession to the throne, Leake’s commission under him becoming void, May 27, 1702, he accepted of the Association, a second-rate, till an opportunity offered for his farther promotion. Accordingly, upon the declaration of war against France, he received a commission, June the 24th that year, from prince George, appointing him commander in chief of the ships designed against Newfoundland. He arrived there with his squadron in August, and, destroying the French trade and settlements, restored the English to the possession of the whole island. This gave him an opportunity of enriching himself by the sale of the captures, at the same time that it gained him the favour of the nation, by doing it a signal service, without any great danger of not succeeding; for, in truth, all the real fame he acquired on this occasion arose from his extraordinary dispatch and diligence in the execution.
ebellion in 1745. On the revival of the order of the Bath in 1725, he was one of the esquires of the earl of Sussex, deputy earl-marshal. He was elected F. A. S. March
, a herald and antiquary,
son of captain Stephen Martin, mentioned in the preceding
article, was born April 5, 1702. He was educated at the
school of Mr. Michael Maittaire, and was admitted of the
Middle-temple. In 1724 he was appointed a deputylieutenant of the Tower-hamlets; in which station he afterwards distinguished himself by his exertions during the
rebellion in 1745. On the revival of the order of the Bath
in 1725, he was one of the esquires of the earl of Sussex,
deputy earl-marshal. He was elected F. A. S. March 2,
1726-7. In the same year he was created Lancaster herald, in the room of Mr. Hesketh; in 1729 constituted
Norroy; in 1741 Clarenceux; and by patent dated December 19, 1754, appointed garter. In all his situations
in the college Mr. Leake was a constant advocate for the
rights and privileges of the office. He obtained, after
much solicitation, a letter in 1731, from the duke of Norfolk to the earl of Sussex, his deputy earl -marshal, requesting him to sign a warrant for Mr. Leake’s obtaining
a commission of visitation, which letter, however, was not
attended with success. In the same year he promoted a
prosecution against one Shiets, a painter, who pretended
to keep an om'ce of arms in Dean’s-court. The court of
chivalry was opened with great solemnity in the paintedchamber, on March 3, 1731-2, in relation to which he had
taken a principal part. In 1733, he appointed Francis
Bassano, of Chester, his deputy, as Norroy, for Chester and
North Wales; and about the same time asserted his right,
as Norroy, to grant arms in North Wales, which right was
claimed by Mr. Longville, who had been constituted
Gloucester King at Arms partium Walii<t, annexed to that
of Bath King at Arms, at the revival of that order. He
drew up a petition in January 1737-8, which was presented
to the king in council, for a new charter, with the sole
power of painting arms, &c. which petition was referred
to the attorney and solicitor general; but they making
their report favourable to the painters, it did not succeed.
He printed, in 1744, “Reasons for granting Commissions
to the Provincial Kings at Arms for visiting their Provinces.
” Dr. Cromwell Mortimer having, in
t of Don Quixote; and the work was very favourably received. Dr. Johnson wrote the dedication to the earl of Middlesex. In the following year she published” Shakespeare
She published, in 1751, “The Memoirs of Harriot
Stuart,
” and, in In the
latter of these novels, the character of Arabella is the
counter-part of Don Quixote; and the work was very
favourably received. Dr. Johnson wrote the dedication to
the earl of Middlesex. In the following year she published
” Shakespeare illustrated,“in 2 vols. J2mo, to wnich she
afterwards added a third. This work consists of the novels
and histories on which the plays of Shakspeare are founded,
collected and translated from the original authors: to which
are added critical notes, censuring the liberties which
Shakspeare has generally taken with the stories on which
his plays are founded. In 1756, Mrs. Lennox published,
” The Memoirs of the Countess of Berci, taken from the
French,“2 vols. 12mo; and,
” Sully’s Memoirs,“translated, 3 vols. 4to; which have since been frequently reprinted in 8vo, and are executed with no small ability.
In 1757, she translated
” The Memoirs of Madame Maintenon.“In 1758, she produced
” Philander, a Dramatic
Pastoral,“and
” Henrietta,“a novel of considerable merit,
2 vols. 12mo; and, in 1760, with the assistance of the
earl of Cork and Orrery, and Dr. Johnson, she published a translation of
” Father Brumoy’s Greek Theatre,“3
vols. 4to; the merit of which varies materially in different
parts of the work. In 1760-1, she published a kind of
Magazine, under the name of the
” Ladies Museum,“which extended to two volumes, octavo, and seems to have
been rather an undertaking of necessity than choice. Two
years after, she published
” Sophia, a Novel,“2 vols.
12mo, which is inferior to her earlier performances; and,
after an interval of seven years, she brought out, at Covent-garden theatre,
” The Sisters, a Comedy,“taken
from her novel of Henrietta, which was condemned on the
first night of its appearance. In 1773, she furnished Drurylane theatre with a comedy, entitled,
” Old City Manners.“Her last performance, not inferior to any of her
former in that species of composition, was
” Euphemia, a
Novel, 17yO,“4 vols. 12mo. In 1775, we find Dr. Johnson assisting her in drawing up proposals for an edition of
her works, in 3 vols. 4to; but it does not appear to have
been published. Dr. Johnson had such an opinion of Mrs.
Lennox that, on one occasion, not long before his death,
he went so far as to pronounce her superior to Mrs. Carter, miss Hannah Moore, and miss Burney. Sir John
Hawkins has given a ludicrous account of the doctor’s celebration of the birth of Mrs. Lennox’s first literary child,
' The Life of Harriot Stuart.
” This, however, was certainly not her first production, for in 1747, she published
“Poems on several occasions,
” printed for Sam. Paterson.
She was then Miss Ramsay.
Scotland, his attachment to whom some years after neatly cost him his life. In 1644, soon after the earl of Manchester had reduced the town of Lynn in Norfolk, Mr. L'Estrange,
L‘Estrange (Sir Roger), was descended from an ancient and reputable family, seated at Hunstanton-hall, Norfolk; where he was born Dec. 17, 1616. He was the youngest son of sir Hamond L’Estrange, knt. a zealous royalist during the disputes between king Charles and his parliament; who, having his estate sequestered, retired to Lynn, of which town he was made governor. The son had a liberal education, which was completed probably at Cambridge; and adopted his father’s principles with uncommon zeal, and in 1639, when about two-and- twenty, attended king Charles upon his expedition to Scotland, his attachment to whom some years after neatly cost him his life. In 1644, soon after the earl of Manchester had reduced the town of Lynn in Norfolk, Mr. L'Estrange, thinking he had sorpe interest in the place, as his father had been governor of it, formed a plan for surprizing it, and received a commission from the king, constituting him governor of the town in case of success: but, being seized, in consequence of the treachery of two of his associates, Leman and Hager, and his majesty’s commission found upon him, he was carried first to Lynn, thence to London, and there transmitted to the city court-martial for his trial; where, after suffering all manner of indignities, he was, as Whitlocke says, condemned to die as a spy, coming from the king’s quarters without drum, trumpet, or pass.
nd merits, as to put up quietly with this usage, and therefore addressed a warm expostulation to the earl of Clarendon, in the dedication to that minister of his “Memento,”
This appearance at the court of Cromwell was much
censured, after the restoration, by some of the royal party,
who also objected to him, that he had once been heard
playing in a concert where the usurper was present, and,
therefore, they nick-named him “Oliver’s Fidler.
” He
was charged also with having bribed some of the protector’s
people, but he positively disavows it; averring, he never
spoke to Thurloe but once in his life about his discharge;
and that, though during the dependency of that affair he
might well be seen at Whitehall, yet he never spoke to
Cromwell on any other business, or had the least
commerce of any kind with him. From this to the time of
the restoration, he seems to have lived free from any disturbance from the then governing powers; and perhaps
the obscurity into which he had fallen made him be overlooked by Charles II. and his ministry, on that prince’s
recovering his throne. He did not, however, so undervalue his own sufferings and merits, as to put up quietly
with this usage, and therefore addressed a warm expostulation to the earl of Clarendon, in the dedication to that
minister of his “Memento,
” published in The Public Intelligencer, and the News;' f the first of which came out
the 1st of August, and continued to be published twice a
week, till January 19, 1665; when he laid it down, on
the design then concerted of publishing the
” London Gazette,“the first of which papers made its appearance on.
Saturday Feb. 4.
After the dissolution of Charles’s second parliament, in
1679, he set up a paper, called
” The Observator;“the
design of which was to vindicate the measures of the court,
and the character of the king, from the charge of being
popislily affected. With the same spirit he exerted himself in 1681, in ridiculing the popish plot; which he did
with such vehemence, that it raised him many enemies,
who endeavoured, notwithstanding his known loyalty, to
render him obnoxious to the government. But he appeared with no less vehemence against the fanatic plot in
1682; and, in 1683, was particularly employed by the
court to publish Dr. Tillotson’s papers exhorting lord Russel to avow the doctrine of non-resistance, a little before
his execution. In this manner he weathered all the storms
raised against him during that reign, and, in the next, unrewarded with the honour of knighthood, accompanied
with this declaration,
” that it was in consideration of his
eminent services and unshaken loyalty to the crown, in all
extremities; and as a mark of the singular satisfaction of
his majesty, in his present as well as his past services.“In 1687, he was obliged to lay down his
” Observator,“now swelled to three volumes; as he could not agree with
the toleration proposed by his majesty, though, in all other
respects, he had gone the utmost lengths. He had even
written strenuously in defence of the dispensing power,
claimed by that infatuated prince; and this was probably one
reason, why some accused him of having become a proselyte to the church of Home, an accusation which gave him
much uneasiness, and which was heightened by his daughter’s defection to that church. To clear himself from this
aspersion, he drew up a formal declaration, directed to his
kinsman, sir Nicolas L'Estrange, on the truth of which he
received the sacrament at the time of publishing the same,
which is supposed to be in 1690 . By this declaration we
find he was married his lady’s name was Anne Doleman
but what issue he had by her, besides the just- mentioned
daughter, has not come to our knowledge. After the revolution, he seems to have been left out of the commission
of the peace; and, it is said, queen Mary shewed her contempt of him by the following anagram she made upon his
name,
” Lying- Strange Roger:" and it is certain he met
with some trouble, for the remainder of his life, on account
of his being a disaffected person.
Festivals as are appointed by the king’s authority, considered,“1721. 18.” A Letter of thanks to the earl of Nottingham, &c.“1721. 19.” The History and Antiquities of
Archbishop Wake’s character of him was that of vir sobrius, et bonus pradicator: and a considerable dignitary in
the church used to say, that he looked upon his life to have
been spent in the service of learning and virtue, and thought
the world to be more concerned for its continuance than
himself: that it would be happy for us if there were many
more of the profession like him, &c. It was his misfortune, however, to live in a time of much party violence, and
being a moderate man, he met with ill usage from both
parties, particularly from the clergy of his own diocese.
His only object was the security of our church-establishment as settled at the Revolution. He was so diligent a
preacher, that we are told he composed more than a thousand sermons. He was always of opinion that a clergyman
should compose his own sermons, and therefore ordered
his executor to destroy his stock, lest they should contribute to the indolence of others. Having no family, for
his wife died young without issue, he expended a great
deal of money on his library and the repairs of his dilapidated parsonage-houses; and was, at the same time, a liberal benefactor to the poor. His chief, and indeed only,
failing was a warmth of temper, which sometimes hurried
him on to say what was inconsistent with his character and
interest, and to resent imaginary injuries. Of all this, however, he was sensible, and deeply regretted it. Hearne
and Mr. Lewis Vvere, it appears, accustomed to speak,
disrespectfully of each other’s labours, but posterity has
done justice to both. The political prejudices of antiquariss
are of very little consequence.
Mr. Lewis’s works are, 1> “The Church Catechism efcplained,
” already mentioned, 1700, 8vo. 3.
” A serious
Address to the Anabaptists,“a single sheet, 1701, with a
second in 1702. 4.
” A Companion for the afflicted,“1706. 5.
” Presbyters not always an authoritative part of
provincial synods,“1710, 4to. 6.
” An apologetical Vindication of the present Bishops,“1711. 7.
” The Apology
for the Church of England, in an examination of the rights
of the Christian church,“published about this time, or
perhaps in 1714. 8.
” The poor Vicar’s plea against- his
glebe being assessed to the Church,“1712. 9.
” A Guide
to young Communicants,“1715. 10.
” A Vindication of
the Bishop of Norwich“(Trimnell), 1714. 11.
” The
agreement of the Lutheran churches with the church of
England, and an answer to some exceptions to it,“1715.
12.
” Two Letters in defence of the English liturgy and
reformation,“1716. 13.
” Bishop Feme’s Church of England man’s reasons for not making the decisions of ecclesiastical synods the rule of his faith,“1717, 8vo. 14.
” An
Exposition of the xxxivth article of Religion,“1717.
15.
” Short Remarks on the prolocutor’s answer, &c.“16.
” The History, &c. of John Wicliffe, D. D.“1720, 8vo.
17.
” The case of observing such Fasts and Festivals as are
appointed by the king’s authority, considered,“1721. 18.
” A Letter of thanks to the earl of Nottingham, &c.“1721.
19.
” The History and Antiquities of the Isle of Thanet in
Kent,“1723, 4 to, and again, with additions, in 1736. 20.
” A Specimen of Errors in the second volume of Mr. Collier’s Ecclesiastical History, being a Vindication of Bur-net’s
History of the Reformation,“1724, 8vo. 21.
” History and
Antiquities of the abbey church of Faversham, &c.“1727,
$to. 22.
” The New Testament, &c. translated out of the
Latin vulgate by John WicklifFe; to which is prefixed, an
History of the several Translations of the Holy Bible,“&c.
1731, folio. Of this only 160 copies were printed by subscription, and the copies unsubscribed for were advertised
the same year at I/. 1*. each. Of the
” New Testament“the rev. H. Baber, of the British Museum, has lately printed
an edition, with valuable preliminary matter, in 4to. 23.
” The History of the Translations, &c.“reprinted separately in 1739, 8vo. 24.
” The Life of Caxton,“1737,
8vo. For an account of this work we may refer to Dibdiu’s
new edition of Ames. 25.
” A brief History of the Rise
and Progress of Anabaptism, to which is prefixed a defence
of Dr. Wicliffe from the false charge of his denying Infant-baptism,“1738. 26.
” A Dissertation on the antiquity and use of Seals in England,“1710. 27.
” A Vindication of the ancient Britons, &c. from being Anabaptists,
with a letter of M. Bucer to bishop Hooper on ceremonies,“1741. 28.
” A Defence of the Communion office and Catechism of the church of England from the charge of favouring transubstantiation,“1742. 29.
” The Life of Reynold Pecock, bishop of St. Asaph and Chichester,“1744,
8vo. Mr. Lewis published also one or two occasional sermons, and an edition of Roper’s Life of sir Thomas More.
After his death, according to the account of him in the‘
Biog. Britannica (which is unpardonably superficial, as Masters’s History of Bene’t College had appeared some years before), was published
” A brief discovery of some
of the arts of the popish protestant Missioners in England,“1750, 8vo. But there are other curious tracts which Mr.
Lewis sent for publication to the Gentleman’s Magazine,
and which, for reasons stated in vol. X. of that work, were
printed in
” The Miscellaneous Correspondence," 1742
1748, a scarce and valuable volume, very little known to
the possessors of the Magazine, no set of which can be
complete without it. Of these productions of Mr. Lewis,
we can ascertain, on the authority of Mr. Cave, the following: an account of William Longbeard, and of John Smith,
the first English anabaptist; the principles of Dr. Hickes,
and Mr. Johnson; and an account of the oaths exacted by
the Popes. Mr. Lewis left a great many manuscripts, some
of which are still in public or private libraries, and are
specified in our authorities,
engagements prevented his preparing them for the press. They afterwards fell into the hands of Henry earl of Bath. Extracts from them are in Dublin college library.
, an eminent lawyer in
the early part of the seventeenth century, was the sixth
and youngest son of Henry Ley, esq. of Tesfont Evias, in
Wiltshire, and was born about 1552. In 1569 he entered
of Brazen-nose college, Oxford, whence he removed to
Lincoln’s-inn, studied the law, and was appointed Lent
reader in 1601, after which his learning and abilities raised
him to the highest rank of his profession. In 1603, he
was made serjeant at law, and the year following chief justice of the king’s bench in Ireland; on the ancient history
of which country he appears to have bestowed some attention, and collected with a view to publication, “The An.nals of John Clynne, a Friar Minor of Kilkenny,
” who lived
in the reign of Edward III.; the “Annals of the Priory of
St. John of Kilkenny,
” and the “Annals of Multiferman,
Rosse, and Clonmell.
” All these he had caused to be transcribed, but his professional engagements prevented his
preparing them for the press. They afterwards fell into
the hands of Henry earl of Bath. Extracts from them are
in Dublin college library.
with the honours bestowed on him immediately afterwards, for he was not only created baron Ley, and earl of Marlborough, but soon after made president of the council.
In 1609, being then a knight, sir James was made the
king’s attorney in the court of wards. In 1620 he was
created a baronet; in 1621, chief justice of the court of
king’s bench, England; and in 1625, lord high treasurer.
From this office he was removed, under pretence of his
great age, to make room for sir Richard VVeston. Lord
Clarendon seems to intimate that his disability as well as
age might be the cause, and that upon these accounts
there was little reverence shewn towards him. This, however, is scarcely reconcileable with the honours bestowed
on him immediately afterwards, for he was not only created
baron Ley, and earl of Marlborough, but soon after made
president of the council. Lloyd says he had better abilities for a judge than a statesman. He died at Lincoln’sinn, March 14, 1628, and was buried in the church at
Westbury, where a sumptuous monument was erected to
his memory. We have noticed his attention to Irish history while in that country. Lloyd has given us another
trait of his character while there, which is highly honourable to him. “Here he practised the charge king James
gave him at his going over (yea, what his own tender conscience gave himself), namely, not to build his estate upon
the ruins of a miserable nation, hut aiming, by the impartial execution of justice, not to enrich himself, but civilize
the people. But the wise king would no longer lose him
out of his own land, and therefore recalled him home about
the time when his father’s inheritance, by the death of
his five elder brethren, descended upon him.
”
used by appearing on May 3, 1641, at the head of a savage mob, who clamoured for justice against the earl of Stratford. Next day he was seized and arraigned at the bar
He wrote several other pamphlets, before the long parliament granted him the liberties of the Fleet, Nov. 1640, which indulgence he likewise abused by appearing on May 3, 1641, at the head of a savage mob, who clamoured for justice against the earl of Stratford. Next day he was seized and arraigned at the bar of the House of Lords, for an assault upon colonel Lunsford, the governor of the Tower; but the temper of the times being now in his favour, he was dismissed, and the same day a vote passed in the House of Commons, declaring his former sentence illegal and tyrannical, and that he ought to have reparation for his sufferings and losses. This reparation was effectual, although slow. It was not until April 7, 1646, that a decree of the House of Lords passed for giving him two thousand pounds out of the estates of lord Cottington, sir Banks Windehank, and James Ingram, warden of the Fleet; and it was two years after before he received the money, in consequence of a petition to the House of Commons, when he obtained an ordinance for 3000l. worth of the delinquents’ lands, to be sold to him at twelve years purchase. This ordinance included a grant for some part of the sequestered estates of sir Henry Bellingham and Mr. Bowes, in the counties of Durham or Northumberland, from which he received about 1400l.; and Cromwell, soon after his return from Ireland, in May 1650, procured him a grant of lands for the remainder. This extraordinary delay was occasioned entirely by himself.
forms us, he was exchanged very honourably above his rank, and rewarded with a purse of 300l. by the earl of Essex. Yet, when that general began to press the Scots’ covenant
When the parliament had voted an army to oppose the
king, Lilburne entered as a volunteer, was a captain of
foot at the battle of Edge-hill, and fought well in the engagement at Brentford, Nov. 12, 1612, but being taken
prisoner, was carried to Oxford, and would have been
tried and executed for high treason, had not his parliamentary friends threatened retaliation. After this, as he
himself informs us, he was exchanged very honourably
above his rank, and rewarded with a purse of 300l. by the
earl of Essex. Yet, when that general began to press the
Scots’ covenant upon his followers, Lilburne quarrelled
with him, and by Cromwell’s interest was made a major
of foot, Oct. 1643, in the new-raised army under the earl
of Manchester. In this station he behaved very well, and
narrowly escaped with his life at raising the siege of Newark by prince Rupert; but at the same time he quarrelled
with his colonel (King), and accused him of several misdemeanours, to the earl, who immediately promoted him
to be lieutenant-colonel of his own regiment of dragoons.
This post Lilburne sustained with signal bravery at the
battle of Marston-moor, in July; yet he had before that
quarrelled with the earl for not bringing colonel King to
a trial by a court* martial; and upon Cromwell’s accusing
his lordship to the House of Commons, Nov. 1644, Lilburne appeared before the committee in support of that
charge. Nor did he rest until he had procured an impeachment to be exhibited in the House of Commons in August
this year, against colonel King for high crimes and
misdemeanours. Little attention being paid to this, he first
offered a petition to the House, to bring the colonel
to his trial, and still receiving no satisfaction, he published a coarse attack upon the earl of Manchester, in
1646. Being called before the House of Lords, where
that nobleman was speaker, on account of this publication,
he not only refused to answer the interrogatories, but protested against their jurisdiction over him in the present
case; on which he was first committed to Newgate, and
then to the Tower. He then appealed to the House of
Commons; and upon their deferring to take his case into
consideration, he charged that House, in print, not only
with having done nothing of late years for the general good, but also with having made many ordinances notoriously unjust and oppressive. This pamphlet, which
was called “The Oppressed man’s oppression,
” being
seized, he printed another, entitled “The Resolved
man’s resolution,
” in which he maintained “that the
present parliament ought to be pulled down, and a new
one called, to bring them to a strict account, as the
only means of saving the laws and liberties of England
from utter destruction,
” This not availing, he applied to
the agitators in the army; and at length, having obtained
liberty every day to go, without his keeper, to attend the
committee appointed about his business, and to return
every night to the Tower, he made use of that indulgence
to engage in some seditious practices. For this he was recommitted to the Tower, and ordered to be tried; but,
upon the parliament’s apprehensions from the Cavaliers,
on prince Charles’s appearing with a fleet in the Downs,
he procured a petition, signed by seven or eight thousand
persons, to be presented to the House, which made an order, in August 1648, to discharge him from imprisonment*,
and to make him satisfaction for his sufferings. This was
not compassed, however, without a series of conflicts and
quarrels with Cromwell; who, returning from Ireland in
uckingham. Theophilus was the second of three children, and so named after his godfather, Theophilus earl of Huntingdon. He received the rudiments of grammar-learning
, a Socinian writer, was born
at Middlewich, in Cheshire, June 20th, 1723, old style.
His father, Mr. Robert Lindsey, was an opulent proprietor
of the salt-works in that neighbourhood; his mother’s name
was Spencer, a younger branch of the Spencer family, in
the county of Buckingham. Theophilus was the second of
three children, and so named after his godfather, Theophilus earl of Huntingdon. He received the rudiments of
grammar-learning at Middlewich, and from his early attachment to books, and the habitual seriousness of his mind,
he was intended by his mother for the church. He lost
some time by a change of schools, until he was put under
the care of Mr. Barnard of the free-school of Leeds, under
whom he made a rapid progress in classical learning. At
the age of eighteen he was admitted of St. John’s college,
Cambridge, where, by exemplary diligence and moral
conduct, he obtained the entire approbation of his tutors.
As soon as he had finished his studies at college, taken
his first degree, and had been admitted to deacon’s orders,
he was nominated by sir George Wheler to a chapel in
Spital-square London. Soon after this, he was, by the
recommendation of the earl of Huntingdon, appointed domestic chaplain to Algernon duke of Somerset. The duke,
from a great regard for his merit, determined to procure
him a high rank in the church, but an early death deprived
Mr. Lindsey of his illustrious patron. In 1754, be accompanied the present duke of Northumberland to the continent, and on his return he supplied, for some time, the
temporary vacancy of a good living in the north of England, called Kirkby-Wisk: here he became acquainted
with Mr. archdeacon Blackburne, and in 1760 married his
daughter-in-law. From Kirkby Mr. Lindsey went to Piddletown, in Dorsetshire, having been presented to the
living of that place by the earl of Huntingdon: this,
through the interest of the same patron, he exchanged, in
1764, for the vicarage of Catterick, in Yorkshire. Here
he resided nearly ten years, an exemplary pattern of a primitive and conscientous pastor, highly respected and beloved by the people committed to his charge. Besides his
various and important duties as a parish clergyman, Mr.
Lindsey was ever alive, and heartily active, in every cause
in which a deviation from the formularies and obligations
of the church was considered as necessary. With this
view, in 1771 he zealously co-operated with Mr. archdeacon Blackburne, Dr. John Jebb, Mr. Wyvil, and others,
in endeavouring to obtain relief in matters of subscription
to the thirty-nine articles. Mr. Lindsey had, probably,
for some years, entertained doubts with respect to the
doctrine of the Trinity, and other leading topics of the
established faith; and these pressed so heavy upon him
that he could no longer endure to remain in a church,
partaking of its emoluments, which he could not deserve,
and preaching its doctrines, which he could not believe.
He therefore, in November 1773, wrote to the prelate of
his diocese, informing him of his iateiuion to quit the
church, and signifying, that in a few days he should transmit to him his deed of resignation. The bishop endeavoured to persuade him to remain at his post, but he had
made up his mind that duty required the sacrifice, and he
was resolved to bear the consequences. When the act was
done, he said he felt himself delivered from a load which
had long lain heavy upon him, and at times nearly overwhelmed him. Previously to his quitting Catterick, Mr.
Lindsey delivered a farewell address to his parishioners,
in which he stated his motives for quitting them in a simple and very affecting manner, pointing out the reasons
why he could no longer conduct, nor join in their worship,
without the guilt of continual insincerity before God, and
endangering the loss of his favour for ever. He left Catterick about the middle of December, and after visiting
some friends in different parts of the country, he arrived
in London in January 1774, where he met with friends,
who zealously patronized the idea which he entertained
of opening a place of worship, devoted entirely to unitarian principles. A large room was at first fitted up for
the purpose in Essex-street in the Strand, which was
opened April 17, 1774. The service of the place was
conducted according to the plan of a liturgy which had
been altered from that used in the established church by
the celebrated Dr. Samuel Clarke, whose conscience was
not quite so delicate as that of Mr. Lindsey. Mr. Lindsey
published the sermon which he preached on the opening of
his chapel, to which was added an account of the liturgy
made use of. About the same time he published his
“Apology,
” of which several editions were called for in
the course of a few years. This was followed by a still
larger volume, entitled “A Sequel to the Apology,
” which
was intended as a reply to his various opponents, and likewise to vindicate and establish the leading doctrines which
he professed, and on account of which he had given up
his preferment in the church. This work was published in
1776; and in 1778 he was enabled, by the assistance of
his friends, to build the chapel of Essex-street, and to purchase the ground on which it stands. Till the summer of
1793, Mr. Lindsey, with the aid of his friend the Rev. Dr.
Disney, conducted the services of the place, upon strict
unitarian principles, to a numerous congregation. He
then resigned the whole into the hands of his coadjutor,
notwithstanding the, earnest wishes of his hearers that he
should still continue a part of the services, Though he
had quitted the duties of the pulpit, he continued to labour
in the cause, by his publications, till he had attained his 80th,
year. In 1802, he published his last work, entitled “Conversations on the Divine Government, shewing that every
thing is from God, and for good to all.
” The professed
object of this piece is to vindicate the Creator from those
gloomy notions which are too often attached to his providence, and to shew that the government of the world is
the wisest that could have been adopted, and that afflictions and apparent evils are permitted for the general
good. From this principle Mr. Lindsey derived consolation through life, and upon it he acted in every difficult
and trying scene. On his death-bed he spoke of his sufferings with perfect patience and meekness, and when
reminded, by a friend, that he doubtless was enabled
to bear them with so much fortitude in the recollection
of his favourite maxim, that “Whatever is, is right; w
“No,” said he with an animation that lighted up his countenance, “Whatever is, is best.” This was the last sentence which he was able distinctly to articulate: he died
Novembers, 1808. Besides the works already referred
to, he published two dissertations: 1. On the preface to
St. John’s Gospel; 2. On praying to Christ:
” An Historical View of the State of the Unitarian Doctrine and Worship from the Reformation to our own Times;“and several other pieces. Among controversial writers Mr. Lindsey
takes a place as his
” Vindiciae Priestleianae,“and his
” Examination of Mr. Robinson’s Plea for the Divinity of
Christ," will shew. Two volumes of his Sermons have been
published since his death.
In 1698, he attended the earl of Portland in his embassy from king William to the court of
In 1698, he attended the earl of Portland in his embassy
from king William to the court of France; and having
the pleasure to see his “Synopsis Conchyliorum
” in the
king’s library, he presented that monarch with a second
edition of the treatise, much improved, in 1699, not long
after his return from Paris. Of this journey he published an
account, with observations on the state and curiosities of that
metropolis; which, containing some things of a trifling nature, was pleasantly ridiculed by Dr. Wm. King, in another,
entitled “A Journey to London.
” In Historiae Animalium Angliae
tres Tractatus,
” &c. John Goedertius of Insects,
” &c. De Fontibus medicalibus AnglitE,
” Ebor. Exercitatio anatomica, in qua
de Cochleis agitur,
” &c. Cochlearum &
Limacum Exercitatio anatomica; accedit de Variolis Exercitatio,
” Conchy liorum Bivalvium
utriusque Aquae Exercitatio anatom. tertia,
” &c. Exercitationes medicinales,
” &c.
. The judge’s third son, Thomas, was knighted by Henry VII. for taking Lambert Simnel, the pretended earl of Warwick. His eldest son and successor, sir William Littleton,
, a celebrated English judge, descended of an ancient family, was
the eldest son of Thomas Westcote, of the county of Devon, esq. by Elizabeth, daughter and sole-heir of Thomas
Littleton or Lyttleton, of Frankley in Worcestershire, in
compliance with whom she consented that the issue, or at
least the eldest son, of that marriage should take the name
of Lyttleton, and bear the arms of that family. He was
born about the beginning of the fifteenth century at Frankley. Having laid a proper foundation of learning at one
of the universities, he removed to the Inner-Temple; and,
applying himself to the law, became very eminent in that
profession. The first notice we have of his distinguishing
himself is from his learned lectures on the statute of Westminster, “de donis conditionalibus,
” “of conditional
gifts.
” He was afterwards made, by Henry VI. steward
or judge of the court of the palace, or marshalsea of the
king’s household, and, in May 1455, king’s serjeant, in
which capacity he went the Northern circuit as a judge of
the assize. Upon the revolution of the crown, from the
house of Lancaster to that of York) in the time of Edward
IV. our judge, who was now made sheriff of Worcestershire, received a pardon from that prince; was continued
in his post of king’s serjeant, and also in that of justice of
assi/r for the same circuit. This pardon passed in 1462,
the second year of Edward IV.; and, in 1466, he was appointed one of the judges of the court of Common Pleas.
The same year, he obtained a writ to the commissioners of
the customs of London, Bristol, and Kingston-upon-Hull,
enjoining them to pay him a hundred and ten marks annually, for the better support of his dignity; a hundred and
six shillings and eleven pence farthing, to furnish him
whh a furred robe; and six shillings and six-pence more,
for another robe called Li num. In 1473, we find him residing near St. Sepulchre’s church, London, in a capital
mansion, the property of the abbot of Leicester, which he
held on lease at the yearly rent of 1 <'>.-. In 1475 he was
created, among others, knight of the Hath, to grace the
solemnity of conferring that order upon the king’s eldest
son, then prince of Wales, afterwards Edward V. He
continued to enjoy the esteem of his sovereign and the nation, on account of his profound knowledge of the laws of
England, till his death, Aug. 23, 1481, the day after the
date of his will. He was then said to be of a good old
age, but its precise length has not been ascertained. He
was honourably interred in the cathedral church of Worcester, where a marble tomb, with his statue, was erected
to his memory; his picture was also placed in the church
of Frankley; and another in that of Hides-Owen, where
his descendants purchased a good estate. He married,
and had three sons, William, Richard, and Thomas.
Kichard, bred to the law, became eminent in thut profession; and it was for his use that our judge drew up his
celebrated treatise on tenures or titles, which will probably hand his name down to the latest posterity. The
judge’s third son, Thomas, was knighted by Henry VII.
for taking Lambert Simnel, the pretended earl of Warwick. His eldest son and successor, sir William Littleton,
after living many years in great splendour, at Frankley,
died in 1508; and from this branch the late celebrated lord
Lyttelton of Frankley co. Worcester, who was created a
baron of Great Britain, Nov. 1756, derived his pedigree;
but who, owing to the alteration in the spelling of the
name (which, however, appears unnecessary) will occur in
a future part of this work.
o lord Falkland, to demand the seal from him, and to consult about a successor with Hyde, afterwards earl of Clarendon; but this last step prevented the former order
In this station he preserved the esteem of both parties
for some time, and the two houses of parliament agreed to
return their thanks by him to the king, for passing the
triennial bill, and that of the subsidies; but, as he concurred in the votes for raising an army, and seizing the militia, in March 1641, measures very hostile to the royal
cause, the king sent an order from York to lord Falkland,
to demand the seal from him, and to consult about a successor with Hyde, afterwards earl of Clarendon; but this
last step prevented the former order from being put into
execution. Hyde, who always entertained a great regard
for the keeper, had, upon his late behaviour, paid him a
visit at Exeter-house, on which occasion the keeper freely
disclosed his mind, lamenting that he had been removed
from the common-pleas, of which court he was acquainted
with the business aud the persons with whom he had to
deal, to an higher office, which involved him with another
sort of men, and in affairs to which he was a stranger; and
this without his having one friend among them, to whom
he could confide any difficulty that occurred to him. Adverting likewise to the unhappy state of the king’s affairs,
he said that the party in hostility to the court “would
never have done what they had already, unless they had
been determined to do more: that he foresaw it would not
be long before a war would break out, and of what importance it was, in that season, that the great seal should be
with his majesty; that the prospect of this necessity had
made him comply to a certain degree with that party; that
there had lately been a consultation, whether, in case the
king might send for him, or the great seal be taken from
him, it were advisable to keep it in some secure place,
where the keeper should receive it upon occasion, they
having no mind to disoblige him: that the knowledge of
this had induced him to vote as he did in the late debates;
and by that compliance, which he knew would give the
king a bad impression of him, he had gained so much credit with them, that he should be able to preserve the
seal in his own hands till his majesty should demand it, and
then he would be ready to wait on the king with it, declaring that no man should be more willing to perish with
and for his majesty than himself.
” Mr. Hyde acquainted
lord Falkland with this conference; and, being confident
that the lord-keeper would keep his promise, recommended
to advise his majesty to write a kind invitation to the keeper
to come to York, and bring the seal with him, rather than,
think of giving it to any other person. The advice was
embraced by the king, who, though he still had his doubts
of Littleton’s sincerity, was influenced by the reasons assigned; and accordingly the seal was sent to York on the
f2d, and followed by the keeper on the 23d of May, 1642.
But, notwithstanding this piece of service and eminent
proof of his loyalty, at the risk of his life, he could never
totally regain the king’s confidence, or the esteem of the
court-party. He continued, however, to enjoy his post,
in which he attended his majesty to Oxford, was there
created doctor of laws, and made one of the king’s privycouncil, and colonel of a regiment of foot in the same
service, some time before his death, which happened Aug.
27, 1645, at Oxford. His body was interred in the cathedral of Christ church; uu which Qccasioa a funeral oration
was pronounced by the celebrated Dr. Hammond, then
orator to the university. In May 1683, a monument was
erected there to his memory, by his only daughter and
heiress, the lady Anne Lyttelton, widow of sir Thomas
Lyttelton; and the same year came out his “Reports,
” in
folio, which, however, Mr. Stevens, in his introduction
to lord Bacon’s Letters, edition 1702, p. 21, thinks were
not composed by him, many of the cases being the same
verbatim as in Hetley’s reports. Lord Clarendon says of
sir Edward Littleton, that “he was a man of great reputation in the profession of the law, for learning, and all other
advantages which attend the most eminent men. He was
of a very good extraction in Shropshire, and inherited a
fair fortune and inheritance from his father. He was a
handsome and a proper man, of a very graceful presence,
and notorious courage, which in his youth he had manifested with his sword. He had taken great pains in the
hardest and most knotty part of the law, as well as that
which was most customary; and was not only ready and
expert in the books, but exceedingly versed in records,
in studying and examining whereof he had kept Mr. Selden
company, with whom he had great friendship, and who had
much assisted him: so that he was looked upon as the best
antiquary of his profession, who gave himself up to practice; and, upon the mere strength of his abilities, he had
raised himself into the first of the practisers of the common
law courts, and was chosen recorder of London before he
was called to the bench, and grew presently into the
highest practice in all the other courts, as well as those of
the law.
” Whitelocke also observes, that he was a man of
courage, and of excellent parts and learning. But we fear
he cannot be altogether acquitted of unsteadiness in some
parts of his conduct, although it must at the same time be
owned that when he found he could no longer retain the
seal with credit, he delivered it, with his own hands, to
his unhappy sovereign, and died firmly attached to his
cause.
llowing year. 3. “A reasonable Defence of the Seasonable Discourse,” &c. 1673, 4to, in answer to the earl of Castlemain’s observations on the preceding article. 4. “The
Besides the “Considerations,
” &c. mentioned above,
he wrote, 1. “The late Apology in behalf of Papists, reprinted and answered, in behalf of the Royalists,
” A seasonable Discourse, shewing the necessity
of maintaining the Established Religion in opposition to
Popery,
” A reasonable Defence of the Seasonable Discourse,
” &c. The difference between the Church and the Court of
Rome considered,
” An Alarm for
Sinners,
” An historical account of Church
Government,
” A Letter to Dr. William
Sherlock, in vindication of that part of Josephus’s History,
which gives an account of Jaddua the high priest’s submitting to Alexander the Great,
” A Discourse of God’s ways of disposing Kingdoms,
” The Pretences of the French Invasion examined,
”
&c. A Dissertation upon Daniel’s 70
Weeks,
” the substance of which is inserted in the chronology of sir Isaac Newton. 12. An exposition of the same
subject, left printed imperfect, and not published. 13.
*‘ A Letter upon the same subject, printed in the ’ Life of
Dr. Humphrey Prideaux,' p. 288, edit. 1758,“8vo. 14.
” A
System of Chronology,“left imperfect, but out of it his
chaplain, Benjamin Marshall, composed his
” Chronological Tables,“printed at Oxford, 1712, 1713. 15.
” A Harmony of the Gospels,“partly printed in 4to, but left imperfect. 16.
” A Chronological account of the Life of
Pythagoras,“&c. 1699. 17. He is supposed to have had
a hand in a book published by his son at Oxford, 1700, in
folio, entitled
” Series Chronologica Olympiadum,“&c.
He wrote also some
” Explications of some of the Prophecies in the Revelations,“and added the chronological dates
at the head of the several columns, with an index to the
Bible, and many of the references and parallel places, first
printed in the fine edition of the Bible published in folio,
under the direction of archbishop Tenison, in 1701. He
left a Bible interlined with notes in short hand, which was
in the possession of Mr. Marshall, his chaplain, who married a relation, and would have published these notes had
he met with encouragement, as Whiston informs us, who
always, even in his index, calls Dr. Lloyd
” the great
bishop,“and in speaking of Wasse says,
” one more
learned than any bishop in England since bishop Lloyd."
t of natural philosophy. While at Oxford, in 1666, he became acquainted with lord Ashley, afterwards earl of Shaftesbury, and that in the character of a medical practitioner.
In 1664, sir William Swan being appointed envoy from the English court to the elector of Brandenburgh, and some other German princes, Mr. Locke attended him as his secretary, but returned to England within the year, and applied himself again with great vigour to his studies, and particularly to that of natural philosophy. While at Oxford, in 1666, he became acquainted with lord Ashley, afterwards earl of Shaftesbury, and that in the character of a medical practitioner. Lord Ashley by a fall had hurt his breast in such a manner, that there was an abscess formed in it, and being advised to drink the mineral waters at Astrop, wrote to Dr. Thomas, a physician at Oxford, to procure a quantity of those waters, which might be ready on his arrival. Dr. Thomas, being obliged to be absent from Oxford at that time, desired his friend Mr. Locke to execute this commission. By some accident or neglect, the waters were not ready the day after lord Ashley’s arrival, and Mr. Locke thought it his duty to wait on his lordship to make an apology, which he received with his usual civility, and was so pleased with Locke’s conversation as to detain him to supper, and engaged him to dine with him next day, that he might have the more of his company. And when his lordship left Oxford to go to Surinirig-hill, where he drank the waters, he made Mr. Locke promise to come thither, as he did in the summer of 1667. Lord Ashley afterwards returned, and obliged him to promise that he would come and lodge at his house. Mr. Locke accordingly went thither, and though not a regular practitioner, his lordship confided entirely in his advice, with regard to the operation, which was to be performed by opening the abscess in his breast, and which saved his life, though it never closed.
suits to which he more particularly addicted himself. In 1672, his patron Lord Ashley, being created earl of Shaftesburj', and lord high chancellor of England, appointed
In 1670, and the year following, our author began to
form the plan of his celebrated “Essay on Human Understanding,
” at the earnest request of Mr. Tyrrell, Dr. Thomas, and some other friends, who met frequently in his
chamber to converse together on philosophical subjects;
but his employments and avocations prevented him from
finishing it then. In 1668 he had been elected a fellow
of the royal society, and appears to have been now looked
up to as a man of superior talents, and an authority in
those pursuits to which he more particularly addicted himself. In 1672, his patron Lord Ashley, being created earl
of Shaftesburj', and lord high chancellor of England, appointed Mr. Locke secretary of the presentations to benefices; which place he held until 1673, when his lordship
resigned the great seal. As he had been the confidant of
this statesman in his most secret affairs, he now assisted
his lordship in publishing some treatises, which were designed to excite the people to watch the Roman catholics,
and to oppose the arbitrary measures of the court.
nce on account of his health, and at Montpelier became first acquainted with Mr. Herbert, afterwards earl of Pembroke, to whom he dedicated his “Essay on Human Understanding.”
In 1675, Mr. Locke travelled into France on account of
his health, and at Montpelier became first acquainted with
Mr. Herbert, afterwards earl of Pembroke, to whom he
dedicated his “Essay on Human Understanding.
” From
Montpelier he went to Paris, where he was introduced to
various men of letters. In 1679 he was recalled to London, on the earl of Shaftesbury’s having regained his
favour at court and been made president of the council, but
this was of short duration. The earl lost his place in a few
months, for refusing to comply with the designs of the
Court, which aimed at the establishment of popery and
arbitrary power; attd having incurred the implacable hatred
of the duke of York, on account of his supporting the exclusion-bill, he was, in 1681, committed to the lower,
and although acquitted upon trial, thought it most safe to
retire to Holland, where he died in 1683. Mr. Locke, also
thinking himself not quite secure in England, followed his
lordship to Holland, and was introduced to many of the
learned men of Amsterdam, particularly 1 anborrh, and
Le Clerc, whose intimacy and friendship he preserved
throughout life.
several English malcontents at the Hague, this conduct was communicated by our resident there to the earl of Sunderland, then secretary of state; who acquainting the
During his residence in Holland, he was accused at
court of having written certain tracts against the government of his country, which were afterwards discovered to
be the production of another person; and upon that suspicion he was deprived of his studentship of Christ-church.
This part of Mr. Locke’s history requires some detail.
The writer of his life in the Biographia Britannica (Nicoll)
says that “being observed to join in company with several
English malcontents at the Hague, this conduct was communicated by our resident there to the earl of Sunderland,
then secretary of state; who acquainting the king therewith, his majesty ordered the proper methods to be taken
for expelling him from the college, and application to be
made for that purpose to bishop Fell, the dean; in obedience to this command, the necessary information was given
by his lordship, who at the same time wrote to our author, to
appear and answer for himself on the first of January ensuing,
but immediately receiving an express command to turn him
out, was obliged to comply therewith, and, accordingly,
Air. Locke was removed from his student’s place on the
15th of Nov. 1684.
” This account, however, is not correct. All that lord Sunderland did, was to impart his majesty’s displeasure to the dean, and to request his opinion
as to the proper method of removing Mr. Locke. The
dean’s answer, dated Nov. 8, contains the following particulars of Mr. Locke, and of his own advice and proceedings against him. “I have,
” says the dean, “for divers
years had an eye upon him; but so close has his guard
been on himself, that after several strict inquiries, I may
confidently affirm there is not any man inthe college,
however familiar with him, who had heard him speak a
word either against or so much as concerning the government; and although very frequently, both in public and
private, discourses have been purposely introduced to the
disparagement of his master, the earl of Shaftesbury, his
party and designs, he never could be provoked to take
any notice, or discover in word or look the least concern.
So that I believe there is not a man in the world so much
master of taciturnity and passion. He has here a physician’s place (he had taken the degree of B. M. in 1674)
which frees him from the exercise of the college, and the
obligations which others have to residence in it; and he is
now abroad for want of health.
”
with some of whom he used to associate on the most familiar terms. He had weekly interviews with the earl of Pembroke, then lord keeper of the privy seal; and when the
About this time Mr. Locke’s attention was directed to
the state of the coin, which had been so much clipped,
as to want above a third of its real value; and although his
sentiments on the subject were at first disregarded, the
parliament at length was obliged to take the matter into
consideration, aud to assist the members in forming a right
opinion on the matter, aud introduce a proper remedy.
Mr. Locke, therefore, published “Some considerations of
the consequence of the lowering of the interest, and raising the value of money,
” and shortly followed it by two
more on the same subject, in answer to objections. These
writings extended his acquaintance among men of rank in
the political world, with some of whom he used to associate
on the most familiar terms. He had weekly interviews
with the earl of Pembroke, then lord keeper of the privy
seal; and when the air of London began to affect his
lungs, he went for some days to the earl of Peterborough’s
seat at Parsons’ Green, near Fulham, where he always met
with the most friendly reception: but was obliged afterwards entirely to leave London*, at least during the whole
of the winter season.
Miracles;” “Part of a fourth Letter for Toleration;” “Memoirs relating to the Life of Anthony first earl of Shaftesbury,” &c. &c. He deft behind him several Mss. from
This edition contains, principally, the following treatises, to which we have here appended the years of their
first publication 1. “Three Letters upon Toleration;
”
the first, printed at London in 168y, was in Latin. 2. “A
Register of the Changes of the Air observed at Oxford,
”
inserted in Mr. Boyle’s “General History of the Air,
”
New Method for a Common-place Book,
”
Essay concerning Human Understanding,
”
Two Treatises of Civil Government,
” &c.
Some Considerations of the Consequences of lowering
the Interest, and raising the Value, of Money,
” For coining silver Money in England,
”
&c. “Farther Observations concerning the raising the
Value of Money,
” &c. 9. “Some Thoughts concerning
Education,
” &c. De l'Education des Enfans,
” Amster.
The Reasonableness of Christianity,
” &c.
Vindication of the Reasonableness,
”
&c. A second Vindication,
” &c. A Letter to the Bishop of Worcester,
” Reply to the Bishop of Worcester,
” &c. Reply, in answer to the Bishop’s second Letter,
” Of the Conduct of the Understanding;
” “An Examination of Malebranche’s Opinion,
” &.c. “A Discourse of Miracles;
” “Part of a fourth Letter for Toleration;
” “Memoirs relating to the Life of Anthony first
earl of Shaftesbury,
” &c. &c. He deft behind him several
Mss. from which his executors, sir Peter King aud Anthony Collins, esq. published, in 1705, his paraphrase and
notes upon St. Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, which were
soon followed by those upon the Corintbians, Romans, and
Ephesians, with an essay prefixed, “For the understanding of St. Paul’s epistles, by consulting St. Paul himself.
”
In the following year the posthumous works of Mr. Locke
were published, comprising a treatise “On the Conduct
of the Understanding,
” intended as a supplement to the
“Essay:
” “An Examination of Malebranche’s Opinion
of seeing all Things in God.
” In
iament and an enemy to the measures of the court, encouraged his son to engage as a volunteer in the earl of Essex’s life-guard. In this station he appeared against the
, one of the chiefs of the republican party during the civil wars, was descended of an ancient and good family, originally of Shropshire, and thence removed into Wiltshire, in which county he wag born, at Maiden- Bradley, about 1620. After a proper foundation in grammar, he was sent to Trinity-college in Oxford, where he took the degree of batchelor of arts in 1636, but removed to the Temple, to study the law, as a qualification for serving his country in parliament, his ancestors having frequently represented the county of Wiltshire. His father, sir Henry Ludlow, who was a member of the long parliament and an enemy to the measures of the court, encouraged his son to engage as a volunteer in the earl of Essex’s life-guard. In this station he appeared against the king, at the battle of Edge-hill, in '1642; and, having raised a troop of horse the next summer, 1643, he joined sir Edward Hungerford in besieging Wardour-castle. This being taken, he was made governor of it; but being retaken the following year, 1644, by the king’s forces, he was carried prisoner to Oxford. After remaining here some time, he was released by exchange, went to London, and was appointed high-sheriff of Wiltshire by the parliament. He then appears to have declined a command under the earl of Essex, but accepted the post of major in sir Arthur Haslerig’s regiment of horse, in the army of sir William Waller, and marched to form the blockade of Oxford. From Oxford, however, he was immediately sent, with a commission from sir William, to raise and command a regiment of horse, and was so successful as to be able to join Waller with about five hundred horse, and was engaged in the second battle fought at Newbury. Upon new modelling the army, he was dismissed with Waller, and was not employed again in any post, civil or military, till 1645, when he was chosen in parliament for Wiltshire in the room of his father, who died in 1643.
Soon after the death of the earl of Essex, Sept. 1646, Ludlow had reason to suspect, from, a
Soon after the death of the earl of Essex, Sept. 1646, Ludlow had reason to suspect, from, a conversation with Cromwell, who expressed a dislike to the parliament and extolled the army, that his ambition would lead him to destroy the civil authority, and establish his own; and therefore he gave a flat negative to the vote for returning Cromwell thanks, on his shooting ' Arnell, the agitator, and thereby quelling that faction in the army. In the same spirit of what has been called pure rep ublicanism, he joined in the vote for not addressing the king, and in the declaration for bringing him to a trial: and soon alter, in a conference with Cromwell and the leaders of the army, he harangued upon the necessity and justice of the king’s execution, and, after that, the establishment of an equal commonwealth, in which he differed from another pure republican, Lilburne, who was for new-modelling the parliament first, and then, as a natural consequence, putting the king to death. Ludlow induced the Wiltshire people to agree to the raising of two regiments of foot, and one of horse, against the Scots, when they were preparing to release the king from Carisbrook- castle. After which, he went to Fairfax, at the siege of Colchester, and prevailed with him to oppose entering into any treaty with the king; and when the House of Commons, on his majesty’s answer from Newport, voted that his concessions were ground for a future settlement, Ludlow not only expressed his dissatisfaction, but had a principal share both in forming and executing the scheme of forcibly excluding all that party from the house by colonel Pride, in 1648. Agreeably to all these proceedings, he sat upon the bench at the trial and condemnation of the king, concurred in the vote that the House of Peers was useless and dangerous, and became a member of the council of state.
eedingly, if I and you, and my three sons, should be drowned” When he entered the territories of the earl of Mansfelt, he was received by 100 horsemen or more, and conducted
In this manner he was employed till his death, which
happened in 1546. That year, accompanied by Melancthon, he paid a visit to his own country, which he had not
seen for many years, and returned again in safety. But
soon after he was called thither again by the earls of Mansfelt, to compose some differences which had arisen about
their boundaries. He had not been used to such matters;
but because he was born at Isleben, a town in the territory
of Mansfelt, he was willing to do his country what service
he could, even in this way. Preaching his last sermon,
therefore, at Wittemberg, Jan. 17, he set off the 23d;
and at Hall in Saxony lodged with Justus Jonas, with
whom he stayed three days, because the waters were out.
The 28th he passed over the river with his three sons, and
Jonas and being in some danger, he said to the doctor,
“Do not you think it would rejoice the deril exceedingly,
if I and you, and my three sons, should be drowned
”
When he entered the territories of the earl of Mansfelt, he
was received by 100 horsemen or more, and conducted in
a very honourable manner; but was at the same time so
very ill that it was feared he would die. He said that these
fits of sickness often came upon him when he had any great
business to undertake: of this, however, he did not recover, but died Feb. 18, in his sixty-third year. A little
before he expired he admonished those that were about
him to pray to God for the propagation of the gospel
“because,
” said he, “the council of Trent, which had sat
once or twice, and the pope, will devise strange things
against it.
” Soon after, his body was put into a leaden
coffin, and carried with funeral pomp to the church at
Isleben, when Jonas preached a sermon upon the occasion.
The earls of Mansfelt desired that his body should be interred in their territories; but the elector of Saxony intsted upon his being brought back to Wittemberg, which
was accordingly done; and there he was buried with the
greatest pomp that perhaps ever happened to any private
mail. Princes, earls, nobles, aad students without
number, attended the procession; and Melancthon made his
funeral oration.
Mr. Lye became a member of the society of antiquaries, and about the same time was presented by the earl of Northampton to the vicarage of Yardley Hastings, on which
Having now qualified himself completely for a work of
that nature, he undertook the arduous task of publishing
the “Etymologicum Anglicanum
” of Francis Junius, from
the manuscript of the author in the Bodleian Library. To
this undertaking he was led, as he tells us in his preface,
by the commendations which Hickes and other learned
antiquaries had given to that unpublished work. In the
seventh year from the commencement of his design, he
published the work, with many additions, and particularly
that of an Anglo-Saxon Grammar prefixed. The work
was received with the utmost approbation of the learned.
In 1750, Mr. Lye became a member of the society of antiquaries, and about the same time was presented by the
earl of Northampton to the vicarage of Yardley Hastings,
on which accession he resigned his former living of Houghton; giving an illustrious example of primitive moderation,
especially as he had hitherto supported his mother, and
had still two sisters dependent upon him. The next publication which he issued, was that of the Gothic Gospels,
undertaken at the desire of Eric Benzelius, bishop of
Upsal, who had collated and corrected them. This, which
he had been long preparing, appeared from the Oxford
press in the same year, with a Gothic Grammar prefixed.
His last years were employed chiefly in finishing for the
press his own great work, the Anglo-Saxon and Gothic
Dictionary, which was destined to owe that to another
editor, which he had performed for Junius. His manuscript was just completed, and given to the printer, when
he died at Yardley Hastings, in 1767; and was there
buried, with a commendatory but just and elegant epitaph.
His Dictionary was published in 1772, in two volumes folio,
by the rev. Owen Manning, with a grammar of the two
languages united, and some memoirs of the author, from
which this account is taken. It appears by some original
correspondence between Mr. Lye and Dr. Ducarel (for the perusal of which we are indebted to Mr. Nichols), that Mr.
Lye had been employed on his dictionary a long time before
1765, and that he had almost relinquished the design from
a dread of the labour and expence. In the labour he had
none to share with him, but at the time above mentioned
archbishop Seeker offered him a subscription of 50l. to
forward the work, and he appears to have hoped for similar
instances of liberality.
ntences, and, having taken orders, was presented to the living of Shirburne, in Dorsetshire, by John Earl of Bristol. Here, says Wood, “he was very much resorted to for
, a pious clergyman of the seventeenth century, was born about 1598, at Peysmere, near
Newbury in Berkshire, of which place his father was rector. In 16 14 he became a commoner of Magdalen hall,
Oxford, and a demy of Magdalen college in 1617. In
1622 he took his degree of M. A. and was then chosen a
fellow. In 1631 he was admitted to the reading of the
sentences, and, having taken orders, was presented to
the living of Shirburne, in Dorsetshire, by John Earl of
Bristol. Here, says Wood, “he was very much resorted
to for his edifying and practical way of preaching;
” and
appears indeed to have deserved the affections of his
flock, by the most constant diligence in discharging the
duties of his office. He divided his day into the following
portions: nine hours for study, three for visits and conferences with his parishioners, three for prayers and devotion, two for his affairs, and the rest for his refreshment. He
divided likewise his estate into three parts, one for the use
of his family, one for a reserve in case of future wants,
and one for pious uses. His parish he divided into twentyeight parts, to be visited in twenty-eight days every month,
“leaving,
” says one of his biographers, “knowledge where
he found ignorance, justice where he found oppression,
peace where he found contention, and order where he
found irregularity.
”
tions of the Right Hon. Edmund Burke, oo the Revolution in France, in a letter to the Right Hon. the Earl of Stanhope,” 1790, 8vo. Many curious particulars of this lady
, or Graham, the name of
her second husband, was born in 1733, at Ollantigh, in
Kent, the seat of her father, John Sawbridge, esq. She
appears to have had none of the regular education given
to young ladies of her ranl$, but had an early taste for promiscuous reading, which at length terminated in a fondness for history. That of the Romans is supposed to have
inspired her with the republican notions which she professed throughout life, and in which she was probably encouraged by her brother the late alderman Sawbridge,
whose politics were of the same cast. In 1760 she married
Dr. George Macaulay, a physician of London. Soon after
this, she commenced her career in literature, and in 1763
published the first volume, in 4to, of her “History of
England, from the accession of James I. to that of the
Brunswick Line.
” This work was completed in 8 vols.
in 1783; it was read with some avidity at the period of its
publication, as the production of a female pen, but has
since fallen into so much disrepute, as scarcely ever to be
inquired after. It was written in the true spirit of rancorous republicanism, and was greatly deficient in that impartiality which ought to be the characteristic of true history. While in the height of her fame, Mrs. Macaulay
excited the admiration of Dr. Wilson, rector of St. Stephen’s, Walbrook, who in his dotage placed her statue,
while living, in the chancel of his church. This disgraceful appendage, however, his successor thought himself
justified in removing. Having been left a widow, Mrs.
Macaulay in 1778 married Mr. Graham, a step which, from
the disparity of years, exposed her to much ridicule. In
the year 1785 she went to America, for the purpose of
visiting the illustrious Washington, with whom she had before maintained a correspondence. She died at Bin field,
in Berkshire, June 22, 1791. Her works, besides the
history already referred to, which may be regarded as the
principal, are, “Remarks on Hobbes’s Rudiments of Government and Society;
” “Loose Remarks on some of Mr.
Hobbes’s Positions;
” the. latter being an enlarged edition
of the former: the object of these is to shew the superiority of a republican to a monarchical form of government. In 1770, Mrs. Macaulay wrote a reply to Mr.
Burke’s celebrated pamphlet entitled “Thoughts on the
Causes of the Present Discontents;
” and in An Address to the People of England, Scotland,
and Ireland, on the present important Crisis of Affairs.
”
She wrote also “A Treatise on the Immutability of Moral
Truth;
” which she afterwards re-published, with much
other original matter, under the title of “Letters on Education,
” Observations
on the Reflections of the Right Hon. Edmund Burke, oo
the Revolution in France, in a letter to the Right Hon. the
Earl of Stanhope,
”
buried in the church of St. Isidore, under a monumental stone, and inscription, placed there by the earl of Tyrone. He was reckoned a man of great learning, and one
, who in his Latin works called himself Cavellus, was titular primate of Armagh, and a learned writer in defence of Duns Scotus, whose opinions were generally embraced by his countrymen. He was born in the county of Down, in Ireland, in 1571, and became a Franciscan friar. He studied at Salamanca, in Spain, and afterwards for many years governed the Irish Franciscan college at Louvain, dedicated to St. Anthony, in the founding of which he had been instrumental. In this college he was also professor of divinity, which office he filled afterwards in the convent of Ara Cceli at Rome, was definitor-general of his order, and at length advanced by the pope to the see of Armagh; but died at Rome, as he was preparing for his journey to Ireland, Sept. 22, 1626, in the fifty -fifth year of his age. He was buried in the church of St. Isidore, under a monumental stone, and inscription, placed there by the earl of Tyrone. He was reckoned a man of great learning, and one of the best schoolmen of his time. His works, which consist chiefly of commentaries on and a defence of Scotus, were in substance incorporated in Wading' s edition of Scotus’s works, printed at Lyons, 1639, in 12 vols. folio.
and, was descended from an ancient and noble family, his father Simon Mackenzie being brother to the earl of Seaforth. He was born at Dundee, in the county of Angus,
, an ingenious and learned writer, and eminent lawyer of Scotland, was descended from an ancient and noble family, his father Simon Mackenzie being brother to the earl of Seaforth. He was born at Dundee, in the county of Angus, in 1636, and gave early proofs of an extraorJinary genius, having gone through the usual classic authors, at ten years of age. He was then sent to the universities of Aberdeen and St. Andrew’s, where he finished his studies in logic and philosophy before he had attained his sixteenth year. After this, he turned his thoughts to the civil law, and to increase his knowledge of it, travelled into France, and became a close student in the university of Bourges, for about three years. On his return home, he was called to the bar, became an advocate in 1656, and gained the character of an eminent pleader in a few years.
The poem is entitled “Caelia’s country-house and closet;” and in it are the following lines upon the earl of Montrose:
While he made the law his profession and chief study,
he cultivated a taste for polite literature; and produced
some works which added not a little to his reputation. In
1660, came out his “Aretino, or serious Romance,
” in
which he shewed a gay and exuberant fancy. In Religio Stoici;
” or a short discourse upon
several divine and moral subjects, with a friendly address
to the fanatics of all sects and sorts. This was followed,
in 1665, by “A Moral Essay,
” preferring solitude to
pubHe employment, and all its advantages; such as fame,
command, riches, pleasures, conversation, &c. This was
answered by John Evelyn, esq. in another essay, in which
the preference was given to public employment. In 1667,
he printed his “Moral gallantry;
” a discourse, in which
he endeavours to prove, that the point of honour, setting
aside all other ties, obliges men to be virtuous; and that
there is nothing so mean and unworthy of a gentleman, as
vice: to which is added, a consolation against calumnies,
shewing how to bear them with chearfulness and patience.
Afterwards he published “The moral history of frugality,
”
with its opposite vices, covetousness, niggardliness, prodigality, and luxury, dedicated to the university of Oxford; and “Reason,
” an essay, dedicated to the hon.
Robert Boyle, esq. All these works, except “Aretino,
”
were collected and printed together at London, in 1713,
8vo, under the title of “Essays upon several moral subjects:
” and have been regarded as abounding in good
sense and wit, although upon the whole the reasoning is
rather superficial. Besides these essays, which were the
production of such hours as could be spared from his profession, he was the author of a play and a poem. The
poem is entitled “Caelia’s country-house and closet;
”
and in it are the following lines upon the earl of Montrose:
, stretched the laws too far. This alludes to the noted trials of Baillie of Jerviswood, that of the earl of Argyle, and the prosecutions against Mitchel and Learmonth,
Soon after Mr. Mackenzie had been employed as counsel for the marquis of Argyle, he was promoted to the
office of a judge in the criminal court; which he discharged
with so much credit and reputation, that he was made
king’s advocate in 1674, and one of the lords of the privycouncil in Scotland. He was also knighted by his majesty.
In these offices he met with a great deal of trouble on account of the rebellions which happened in his time; and
his office of advocate requiring him to act with severity,
he did not escape being censured for having, in the deaths
of some particular persons who were executed, stretched
the laws too far. This alludes to the noted trials of Baillie
of Jerviswood, that of the earl of Argyle, and the prosecutions against Mitchel and Learmonth, events which make
a great figure in the history of that unhappy period; but
in the opinion of the late lord Woodhcusc lee, “his own
defence will fully justify his conduct in the breast of every
man whose judgment is not perverted by the same prejudices, hostile to all good government, which led those infatuated offenders to the doom they merited.
” (See Mackenzie’s Works, Vindication of the government of Charles II.)
, viscount Tarbat, and first earl of Cromerty, a person eminent for his learning and for his abilities
, viscount Tarbat, and first earl of Cromerty, a person eminent for his learning and for his abilities as a statesman, was descended from a branch of the family of Seaforth. He succeeded to the family estate on the death of his father sir John Mackenzie, and also to his unshaken fealty for Charles II. during whose exile he had a commission to levy what forces he could procure, to promote the restoration. After that event, he was made one of the senators of the college of justice, clerk register of the pri% 7 y council, and justice-general, an office which had been hereditary in the family of Argyle, till it was surrendered in the preceding reign. James II. made him a baron and viscount, but on the abdication of that monarch, whom it woukl appear he had favoured too much, he lost his office of lord-register for some time, until king William III. was pleased to restore it in 1692, being no stranger to his abilities. In queen Anne’s reign, 1702, he was constituted secretary of state, and the following year was advanced to the dignity of earl of Cromerty. He died in 1714, at the age of eighty-three, or, according to another account, eighty-eight.
s always ready to promote any scheme xvhich might contribute to the service of his country. When the earl of Morton set out, in 1739, for Orkney and Shetland, to visit
In the midst of these studies he was always ready to promote any scheme xvhich might contribute to the service of his country. When the earl of Morton set out, in 1739, for Orkney and Shetland, to visit his estates there, he desired Mr. Maclaurjn to assist him in settling the geography of those countries, which is very erroneous in all our maps, to examine their natural history, to survey the coasts, and to take the measure of a degree of the meridian. Maclaurin’s family affairs, and other connections, however, not allowing of his absence, he drew up a memorial of what he thought necessary to be observed, furnished the proper instruments, and recommended Mr. Short, the famous optician, as a fit operator for the management of them. He had still another scheme for the improvement of geography and navigation, of a more extensive nature; which was, the opening a passage from Greenland to the South Sea by the North pole. That such a passage might be found, he was so fully persuaded, that he has been heard to say, if his situation could admit of such adventures, he would undertake the voyage, even at his own charge. But when schemes for finding it were laid before the parliament in 1744, and himself consulted by several persons of high rank concerning them, before he could finish the memorials he proposed to send, the premium was limited to the discovery of a North-West passage and he used to regret, that the word West was inserted, because he thought that passage, if at all to be found, must lie not far from the pole.
. In 1584 he became secretary of state to king James VI. and the year following, on the death of the earl of Arran, was created lord chancellor of Scotland. The power
, lord of Thirlstone, and afterwards
chancellor of Scotland, one of the Latin poets of that
country, the second son of the preceding, was born about
1537. He was educated in Scotland, and afterwards sent
to France to study the law. On his return to his native
country, he practised that profession with great success.
In 1567, as already noticed, his father resigned the privyseal in his favour; but in 1570 he was deprived of that
office, from his attachment to queen Mary. In 1581 he
was made a senator of the college of justice. In 1584 he
became secretary of state to king James VI. and the year
following, on the death of the earl of Arran, was created
lord chancellor of Scotland. The power and influence of
the chancellor created him many enemies among the
Scotch nobility, who made several unsuccessful attempts
to destroy him. In 1589 he attended the king on his
voyage to Norway, where his royal bride, the princess of
Denmark, was detained by contrary winds. The marriage
was there completed, and they passed the winter at Copenhagen. During this residence in Denmark, Maitland
became intimately acquainted with Tycho Brahe. In 1590
he was created lord Maitland of Thirlstone. Towards the
end of 1592, the chancellor incurred the queen’s displeasure for refusing to relinquish his lordship of Musselburgh, which she claimed as part of Dumferling. He absented himself from court for some time, but was at length
restored to favour. He died of a lingering illness Oct. 4,
1595, and was much regretted by the king. He is spoken
of by Spotiswood and Johnston as a man of great learning,
and eminent political abilities. Of his works, we have
“Johannis Metellani, Thirlstoni domini, epigrammata
Latina,
” published in the second volume of the “Delicioe
Poetarum Scotorum,
” Amst. aganist sklanderous toungis,
” and an “admonitioun
” to the regent Mar, published in Mr. Pinkerton’s
collection of“Ancient Scotish Poems.
”
, one of the commissioners at the treaty of Uxbridge, during which, upon the death of his father the earl of Lauderdale, he succeeded to his titles and estate. He took
, duke of Lauderdale, grandson of
the preceding, was a statesman of great power and authority, but of most inconsistent character. On the breaking
out of the wars in Scotland in the reign of Charles I. he
was a zealous covenanter; and in Jan. 1644-5, one of the
commissioners at the treaty of Uxbridge, during which,
upon the death of his father the earl of Lauderdale, he
succeeded to his titles and estate. He took an active but
not very useful part in the above treaty; “being,
” says
lord Clarendon, “a young man, not accustomed to an orderly and decent way of speaking, and having no gracious
pronunciation., and full of passion, he made every thing
much more difficult than it was before.
” In April 1647,
he came with the earl of Dumfermling to London, with a
commission to join with the parliament commissioners in
persuading the king to sign the covenant and propositions
offered to him; and in the latter end of the same year, he,
in conjunction with the earl of Loudon, chancellor of Scotland, and the earl of Lanerick, conducted a private treaty
with his majesty at Hampton court, which was renewed
and signed by him on Dec. 26 at Carisbrook castle. By
this, among other very remarkable concessions, the king
engaged himself to employ the Scots equally with the
English in all foreign employments and negociations; and
that a third part of all the offices and places about the
king, queen, and prince, should be conferred upon persons of that nation; and that the king and prince, or one
of them, should frequently reside in Scotland. In August
the year following, the earl of Lauderdale was sent by the
committee of estates of Scotland to the prince of Wales,
with a letter, in which, next to his father’s restraint, they
bewailed his highness’s long absence from that kingdom;
and since their forces were again marched into England,
they desired his presence to countenance their endeavours
for religion and his father’s re-establishment. In 1649, he
opposed with great vehemence the propositions made by
the marquis of Montrose to king Charles II.; and in 1651
attended his majesty in his expedition into England, but
was taken prisoner after the battle of Worcester in September the same year, and confined in the Tower of London, Portland-castle, and other prisons, till the 3d of
March, 1659-60, when he was released from his imprisonment in Windsor-castle.
th of June, 1674, to create him a baron of England by the title of Baron of Petersham in Surrey, and earl of Guildford, yet the House of Commons the next year presented
Upon the Restoration he was made secretary of state for
Scotland, and persuaded the king to demolish the forts
and citadels built by Cromwell in Scotland; by which
means he became very popular. He was likewise very
importunate vfith his majesty for his supporting presbyterv
in that kingdom; though his zeal, in that respect, did not
continue long. In 1669, he was appointed lord commissioner for the king in Scotland, whither he was sent with
great pomp and splendour to bring about some extraordinary points, and particularly the union of the two kingdoms. For this purpose he made a speech at the opening
of the parliament at Edinburgh on the 19th of October
that year, in which he likewise recommended the preservation of the church as established by law, and expressed
a vast zeal for episcopal government. And now the extending of the king’s power and grandeur in that kingdom.
was greatly owing to the management of his lordship
although he had formerly been as much for depressing the
prerogative; and from the time of his commission the Scots
had reason to date all the mischiefs and internal commotions of that and the succeeding reign. Having undertaken to make his majesty absolute and arbitrary, he
stretched the power of the crown to every kind of excess,
and assumed to himself a sort of lawless administration,
the exercise of which was supposed to be granted to him
in consequence of the large promises he had made. In
the prosecution of this design, being more apprehensive of
other men’s officious interfering, than distrustful of his own
abilities, he took care to make himself his majesty’s sole
informer, as well as his sole secretary; and by this means,
not only the affairs of Scotland were determined in the
court of England, without any notice taken of the king’s
council in Scotland, but a strict watch was kept on all
Scotchmen, who came to the English court; and to attempt any access to his majesty, otherwise than by his
lordship’s mediation, was to hazard his perpetual resentment. By these arrogant measures, he gradually made
himself almost the only important person of the whole
Scotch nation; and in Scotland itself assumed so much
sovereign authority, as to name the privy-counsellors, to
place and remove the lords of the session and exchequer,
to grant gifts and pensions, to levy and disband forces, to
appoint general officers, and to transact all matters belonging to the prerogative. Besides which, he was one of the
five lords, who had the management of affairs in England,
and were styled the Cabal, and in 1672, was made marquis of March, duke of Lauderdale, and knight of the
garter. But these honours did not protect him from the
indignation of the House of Commons; by whom, in November the year following, he was voted a *' grievance,
and not fit to be trusted or employed in any office or place
of trust.“And though his majesty thought proper on
the 25th of June, 1674, to create him a baron of England
by the title of Baron of Petersham in Surrey, and earl of
Guildford, yet the House of Commons the next year presented an address to the king to remove him from all his
employments, and from his majesty’s presence and counsels for ever; which address was followed by another of
the same kind in May 1678, and by a third in May the
year following.
He died at Tunbridge Wells, August 24, 1682, leaving
a character which no historian has been hardy enough to
vindicate. In Clarendon, Burnet, Kennet, Hume, Smollet, &c. we find a near conformity of sentiment respecting
his inconsistency, his ambition, and his tyranny . Mr.
Laing observes, that
” during a long imprisonment, his
mind had been carefully improved by study, and impressed
with a. sense of religion, which was soon effaced on his
return to the world. His learning was extensive and accurate; in public affairs his experience was considerable,
and his elocution copious, though unpolished and indistinct. But his temper was dark and vindictive, incapable
of friendship, mean and abject to his superiors, haughty
and tyrannical to his inferiors; and his judgment, seldom
correct or just, was obstinate in error, and irreclaimable
by advice. His passions were furious and ungovernable,
unless when his interest or ambition interposed; his violence was ever prepared to suggest or to execute the most
desperate counsels; and his ready compliance preserved
his credit with the king, till his faculties were visibly impaired with age." The duke died without male issue, but
his brother succeeded to the title of Earl, whose son
Richard was the author of a translation of Virgil, which is
rather literal than poetical, yet Dryden adopted many of
the lines into his own translation.
memory, but also of gratifying the curious.” Maittaire, it may be added, was patronized by the first earl of Oxford, both before and after that gentleman’s elevation
From 1728 to 1732 he was employed in publishing,
“Marmorum Arundellianorum, Seldenianorum, aliorumque
Academies Oxoniensi donatorum, una cum Commentariis
& Indice, editio secunda,
” folio to which an “Appendix
”
was printed in Epistola D. Mich. Maittaire ad
D. P. Des Maizeaux, in qua Indicis in Annales Typographicos methodus explicatur,
” &c. is printed in “The Present State of the Republic of Letters,
” in August Antiques Inscriptiones cluae,
” folio; being a
commentary on two large copper tables discovered near
Heraclea, in the bay of Tarentum. In 1738 were printed
at the Hague, “Graecse Linguae Dialecti in Scholse Regias
Westmonasterrensis usum recogniti opera Mich. Maittaire.
Prosfationem & Appendicem ex Apollonii Discoli fragmento
inedito addidit J. F. Reitzius.
” Maittaire prefixed a dedication of this volume to the marquis of Granby, and the
lords Robert and George Manners, his brothers; and a
new preface, dated 3 Cal. Octob. 1737. This was again
printed at London in 1742. In 1739, he addressed to the
empress of Russia a small Latin poem, under the title of
“Carmen Epinicium Augustissimae Russorum Imperatrici
sacrum.
” His name not having been printed in the titlepage, it is not so generally known that he was editor of
Plutarch’s “Apophthegmata,
” Senilia, sive Poetica aliquot in
argumentis varii generis tentamina.
” It may be worth
mentioning, that Baxter’s dedication to his “Glossarium
Antiquitatum Britannicarum,
” was much altered by Maittaire; who died August 7, 1747, aged seventy-nine. There
is a good mezzotinto print of him by Faber, from a painting by B. Dandridge, inscribed, “Michael Maittaire, A. M.
Amicorum jussu.
” His valuable library, which he had
been collecting fifty years, was sold by auction, by Messrs.
Cock and Langford, at the close of the same year, and the
beginning of the following, taking up in all forty-four
nights. Mr. Cock, in his prefatory advertisement, tells
us, “In exhibiting thus to the public the entire library of
Mr. Maittaire, I comply with the will of my deceased
friend; and in printing the catalogue from his own copy
just as he left it (though, by so doing, it is the more voluminous), I had an opportunity not only of doing the
justice I owe to his memory, but also of gratifying the curious.” Maittaire, it may be added, was patronized by
the first earl of Oxford, both before and after that gentleman’s elevation to the peerage, and continued a favourite
with his son the second earl. He was also Latin tutor to
Mr. Stanhope, the earl of Chesterfield’s favourite son, and
was esteemed by so many persons of eminence that we
cannot wonder at his portrait being engraven jussu amicorum. He possessed many amiable qualities; in religion
was orthodox and zealous ; in temper modest and
unassuming despising the pride of learning, yet fond of
friendly intercourse.
deville died Jan. 21, 1733, in his sixty-third year. He is said to have been patronized by the first earl of Macclesfield, at whose table he was a frequent guest, and
Mandeville died Jan. 21, 1733, in his sixty-third year.
He is said to have been patronized by the first earl of Macclesfield, at whose table he was a frequent guest, and had
an unlimited licence to indulge his wit as well as his appetite.
He lived in obscure lodgings, in London, and never had
much practice as a physician. Besides the writings already
enumerated, which came spontaneously from his pen, we are
told by sir John Hawkins that he sometimes employed his
talents for hire, and in particular wrote letters in the
“London Journal
” in favour of spirituous liquors, for which
he was paid by the distillers. Sir John adds, that “he was
said to be coarse and overbearing in his manners, where
he durst be so, yet a great flatterer of some vulgar Dutch
merchants, who allowed him a pension.
”' The principles
indeed, inculcated in some of his works, although there
are many ingenious and many just remarks in them, forbid
us to entertain any very high opinion of his morals; and
among all his faults, we do not hear that he ever acted the
hypocrite, or was ashamed of what he had written.
ege in 1653. In 1658 he left the college in order to be tutor to Joscelin, son of Algernon, the last earl of Northumberland, with whom he continued till 1660, and then
, a very learned Englishman, was
descended from a good family in Huntingdonshire, and
born at Margaret-Inge, in June 1631. He was educated
under the famous Busby at Westminster-school, and being
king’s scholar, was elected thence to Trinity college, Cambridge, in 1648. He took his degrees in arts at the regular time,' and was made fellow of his college in 1653.
In 1658 he left the college in order to be tutor to Joscelin,
son of Algernon, the last earl of Northumberland, with
whom he continued till 1660, and then travelled at his own
ex pence, to qualify himself for the profession of physic,
into which he had resolved to enter some years before.
He passed through France to Rome, where he lived near
a year in the house of the hon. Algernon Sidney, to whom
he was recommended by his uncle the earl of Northumberland. In 1663 he returned to England, and to that earl’s
family; and, taking his doctor of physic’s degree at Cambridge in 1667, he practised in London. Here he
contraded an acquaintance with many eminent persons in his
own faculty, as Willis, Sydenham, Locke; and with several of the most distinguished divines, as Whichcote,
Tillotson, Patrick, Sherlock, Stillingfleet, Sharp, and Clagget. In 1670 he attended lord Essex in his embassy to
Denmark; and, in 1672, waited on the lady dowager
Northumberland into France. In March 1675, he was
chosen professor of physic in Gresbam college, London;
and, in 1676, attended the lord ambassador Montague,
and lady Northumberland, to France. The same year
Dr. Sydenham published his “Observationes medicas circa
morborum acutorum historiam et curationem,
” which he
dedicated to Dr. Mapletoft; who, at the desire of the
author, had translated them into Latin. He held his professorship at Gresham till October 1679, and married the
month following.
an English peer, but died without issue of his marriage with the lady Isabella Grey, daughter of the earl of Hardwicke, and heiress of the last duke of Kent; a peeress
, a nobleman of great learning and accomplishments, was born in 1708. He was the third in succession to, and the last inheritor of, that title; there being no male descendants of his grandfather, sir Patrick Hume, the first earl, and his lordship having survived his only son, Alexander lord Polwarth, who had been created an English peer, but died without issue of his marriage with the lady Isabella Grey, daughter of the earl of Hardwicke, and heiress of the last duke of Kent; a peeress in her own right, under a limitation by Charles II. of the barony of Lucas of Cruduell.
d with a most unrelenting spirit in the latter, for having joined in the unsuccessful attempt of the^ earl of Argyle in 1685. King William’s private regard for sir Patrick
Sir Patrick Hume, the first earl, was raised to the peerage by king William III, for having taken a very leading and active part to counteract the arbitrary proceedings of Charles II.; and afterwards the more dangerous measures of James II. which threatened the annihilation of the liberties of the country, as well as the complete subversion of its religion; for which attempts he was long imprisoned in the former reign; and persecuted with a most unrelenting spirit in the latter, for having joined in the unsuccessful attempt of the^earl of Argyle in 1685. King William’s private regard for sir Patrick was marked by his majesty’s granting an addition to his arms of an orange, ensigned with an imperial crown; and by giving him an original portrait of himself.
s one of those who accompanied him, and was by him created lord Polwarth of Polwarth, and afterwards earl of Marchmont. He was also made lord high chancellor of Scotland
When his serene highness came over, and happily effected the bloodless revolution, sir Patrick Hume was one of those who accompanied him, and was by him created lord Polwarth of Polwarth, and afterwards earl of Marchmont. He was also made lord high chancellor of Scotland by king William; an office in that country, before the Union, of the highest rank, as it is here,
st active members of the opposition of that period; and on the secession of Mr. Pulteney, afterwards earl of Bath, in 1739, he took the decided lead in it; but his career
These qualifications, with an unwearied industry to reach the bottom of every subject of discussion, and a habit of speaking, attracted great attention to him, very soon after his coming into parliament for the town of Berwick, in 1734. He was one of the most active members of the opposition of that period; and on the secession of Mr. Pulteney, afterwards earl of Bath, in 1739, he took the decided lead in it; but his career in the House of Commons was stopped by his succession to the peerage, on the death of his father, in 1740. On which occasion sir Robert Walpole said to an intimate and confidential friend, that an event had occurred which had rid him of the opponent by far the most troublesome to him in the House.
ous in polir tical life until 1750, when he was elected one of the sixteen peers, in the room of the earl of Crawford. From this time he took a very active share in most
After his lordship’s accession to the peerage in 1740, he did not mix in public business till 1747, when he was appointed first lord commissioner of police in Scotland; and had no opportunity of rendering himself conspicuous in polir tical life until 1750, when he was elected one of the sixteen peers, in the room of the earl of Crawford. From this time he took a very active share in most of the important debates that occurred, which led to his being appointed keeper of the great seal of Scotland in 1764 (on the death of the duke of Athol), the office substituted for that of lord chancellor. The last political act of his life, was the vote he gave on Mr. Fox’s India bill; on which occasion he was the first peer who went below the bar as a non-content.
Devonshire’s library, and which is also in lord Spencer’s; and that of Parma, 1473, belonging to the earl of Sunderland. The “Statius,” as well as the “Epistola Critica,”
Mr. Markland found the “Sylvae
” of Statins in a very
corrupt state, obscure in itself, and mangled by its editors;
yet, notwithstanding the want of ms copies, of which there
were none in England, he appears to have Accomplished
his task by uncommon felicity of judgment and conjecture.
It is not very easy to comprehend Ernesti’s objection, that
he “sometimes rather indulged his ingenuity and exquisite
learning against the expressed authority of books,
” since
his object was to prove how much those books had failed
in exhibiting a pure text. Of the ancient editions, Mr.
Markland owns his obligations to that of Venice, 1472,
which he found in the duke of Devonshire’s library, and
which is also in lord Spencer’s; and that of Parma, 1473,
belonging to the earl of Sunderland. The “Statius,
” as
well as the “Epistola Critica,
” was dedicated to his friend
bishop Hare.
llege, in 1658; afterwards chaplain to Dr. Seth Ward, bishop of Exeter, and then to chancellor Hyde, earl of Clarendon. In 1673, he was appointed principal of Alban-hall,
, an exemplary Irish prelate, was
descended from a Saxon family, formerly seated in Kent,
whence his great-grandfather removed; and was born at
Hannington, in Wiltshire, Dec. 20, 1638. He received
the first rudiments of learning in his native place; and
being there well fitted for the university, was admitted of
Magdalen-hall, in Oxford, in 1654. He became B. A. in
1657, master in 16 60, bachelor of divinity in 1667, and doctor
in 1671. In the mean time he was made fellow of Exetercollege, in 1658; afterwards chaplain to Dr. Seth Ward,
bishop of Exeter, and then to chancellor Hyde, earl of
Clarendon. In 1673, he was appointed principal of
Alban-hall, Oxford, by the duke of Ormond, chancellor
of that university; and executed the duties of his office
with such zeal and judgment, that, according to Wood,
“he made it flourish more than it had done many years
before, or hath since his departure.
” In 1678 he was removed by the interest of Dr. John Fell, together with that
of the duke of Ormond, then lord-lieutenant of Ireland,
to the dignity of provost of Dublin-college. He was
promoted to the bishopric of Leighlin and Ferns in 1683,
translated to the archbishopric of Cashell in 1690, thence
to Dublin in 1699, and then to Armagh in 1703. After
having lived with honour and reputation to himself, and
benefit to mankind in general, he died Nov. 2, 1713, aged
seventy-five, and was buried in a vault in St. Patrick’s
church-yard.
ll, a large farm on the side of the Tay, near Newburgh, held by his father, Mr. John Marshal, of the earl of Rothes. His lather had received a classical education himself;
, a late eminent anatomist and
physician, was born in Fifeshire, in 1742, at Park-hill, a
large farm on the side of the Tay, near Newburgh, held
by his father, Mr. John Marshal, of the earl of Rothes.
His lather had received a classical education himself; and
being desirous that his son should enjoy a similar advantage, sent him first to the grammar-school at Newburgh,
and afterwards tothat of Abernethy, then the most celebrated place of education among the Seceders, of which
religious sect he was a most zealous member. Here he
was regarded as a quick and apt scholar. From his childhood he had taken great delight in rural scenery. One
day, while under the influence of feelings of this kind,
being then about fourteen years old, he told his father that
he wished to leave school, and be a farmer, but he soon
shewed that it had not arisen from any fondness for ordinary country labours. In the following harvest-time, for
instance, having been appointed to follow the reapers, and
bind up the cut corn into sheaves, he would frequently lay
himself down in some shady part of the field, and taking
a book from his pocket, begin to read, -utterly forgetful of
his task. About two years after, however, he resumed his
studies, with the intention of becoming a minister: and
soon after, he was admitted a student of philosophy at
Abernethy; and next became a student of divinity. In
his nineteenth year he went to Glasgow, and divided his time between teaching a school, and attending lectures in
the university. The branches of learning which he chiefly
cultivated were Greek and morals. At the end of two
years passed in this way, he became (through the interest of the celebrated Dr. Reid, to whom his talents and diligence had recommended him), tutor in a gentleman’s family, of the name of Campbell, in the Island of Islay.
He remained here four years, and removed to the university of Edinburgh, with Mr. -Campbell’s son, whom the
following year he carried back to his father. Having
surrendered his charge, he returned to Edinburgh, where
he subsisted himself by reading Greek and Latin privately
with students of the university; in the mean time taking
no recreation, but giving up all his leisure to the acquisition of knowledge. He still considered himself a student
of divinity, in which capacity he delivered two discourses
in the divinity-hall; and from motives of curiosity began in
1769 to attend lectures on medicine. While thus employed, he was chosen1 member of the Speculative society,
where, in the beginning of 1772, he became acquainted
with lord Balgonie, who was so much pleased with the
display which he made of genius and learning in that society,
that he requested they“should read together; and in the
autumn of the following year made a proposal for their
going to the Continent, which was readily accepted.
They travelled slowly through Flanders to Paris, where
they stayed a month, and then proceeded to Tours, where
they resided eight months, in the house of a man of letters,
under whose tuition they strove to acquire a correct knowledge of the French language and government. They became acquainted here with several persons of rank, among
whom were a prince of Rohan, and the dukes of Clioiseul
and Aguilon, at whose seats in the neighbourhood they
were sometimes received as gnests. An acquaintance with
such people would make Marshal feel pain on account of
his want of external accomplishments; and this, probably,
was the reason of his labouring
” to learn to dance and to
fence while he was at Tours, though he was then more
than thirty years old. He returned to England in the
summer of 1774; and proceeded soon after to Edinburgh,
where he resumed the employment of reading Latin and
Greek with young men. Hitherto he seems to have formed
no settled plan of life, but to have bounded his views
almost entirely to the acquisition of knowledge, and a present subsistence. His friends, however, had been induced
to hope that he would at some time be advanced to a professor’s cl; ir and it is possible that he entertained the same
hope himself. In the spring of 1775, this hope appeared
to be strengthened by his being requested by Mr. Stewart,
the professor of humanity at Edinburgh, to officiate for
him, as he was then unwell: Marshal complied, but soon
after appears to have given up all hopes of a professorship,
and studied medicine with a determination to practise it.
In the spring of 1777, he was enabled by the assistance of
a friend, Mr. John Campbell of Edinburgh, to come to
London for professional improvement; and studied anatomy under Dr. W. Hunter, and surgery under Mr. J,
Hunter. After he had been here a twelvemonth, he was
appointed surgeon to the S3rd, or Glasgow regiment,
through the interest of the earl of Leverv, the father of his
late pupil, lord Balgonie. The first year after was passed
with his regiment, in Scotland. In the following he accompanied it to Jersey, where he remained with it almost
constantly till the conclusion of the war in the beginning
of 1783, when it was disbanded. In this situation he
enjoyed, almost for the first time, the pleasures best suited
to a man of independent mind. His income was more than
sufficient for his support; his industry and knowledge rendered him useful; and his character for integrity and honour procured him general esteem. From Jersey he came
to London, seeking for a settlement, and was advised by
Dr. D. Pitcairn (with whom he had formed a friendship while a student at Glasgow) to practise surgery here,
though he had taken the degree of doctor of physic the
preceding year at Edinburgh; and to teach anatomy at St.
Bartholomew’s hospital, it being at the same time proposed, that the physicians to that hospital (of whom Dr. Pitcairn was one) should lecture on other branches of medical learning. He took a house, in consequence, in the
neighbourhood of the hospital; and proceeded to prepare
for the execution of his part of the scheme. This proving
abortive, he began to teach anatomy, the following year,
at his own house; and at length succeeded in procuring
annually a considerable number of pupils, attracted to him
solely by the reputation of his being a most diligent and
able teacher. In 1788 he quitted the practice of surgery,
and commenced that of medicine, having previously become a member of the London college oF physicians. In
the ensuing year a dispute arose between John Hunter
and him, which it is proper to relate, as it had influence
on his after-life. When Marshal returned to London, he
renewed his acquaintance with Mr. Hunter, who thought
so well of him, that he requested his attendance at a committee of his friends, to whose correction he submitted his
work on the venereal disease, before it was published. He
became also a member of a small society, instituted by Dr.
Fordyce and Mr. Hunter, for the improvement of medical
and surgical knowledge. Having mentioned at a meeting
of this society, that, in the dissection of those who had
died insane, he had always found marks of disease in the
head, Mr. Hunter denied the truth of this in very coarse
language. The other members interfering, Mr. Hunter
agreed to say, that his expressions did not refer to Dr.
Marshal’s veracity, but to the accuracy of his observation.
Marshal, not being satisfied with this declaration, at the
next meeting of the society demanded a.i ample apology;
but Mr. Hunter, instead of making one, repeated the offensive expressions; on which Marshal poured some water
over his head out of a bottle which had stood near them.
A scuffle ensued, which was immediately stopped by the
other members, and no father personal contention between
them ever occurred. But Marshal, conceiving that their
common friends in the society had, from the superior rank
of Mr. Hunter, favoured him more in this matter than justice permitted, soon after estranged himself from them.
He continued the teaching of anatomy till 1800, in which
year, during a tedious illness, the favourable termination
of which appeared doubtful to him, he resolved, rather
suddenly, to give it up. While he taught anatomy, almost
the whole of the fore-part of the day, during eight months
in the year, was spent by him in his dissecting and lecture
rooms. He had, therefore, but little time for seeing sick
persons, except at hours frequently inconvenient to them;
and was by this means prevented from enjoying much medical practice; but as soon as he had recovered his health,
after ceasing to lecture, his practice began to increase.
The following year it was so far increased as to render it
proper that he should keep a carriage. From this time to
within a few months of his death, an interval of twelve
years, his life flowed on in nearly an equable stream. He
had business enough in the way he conducted it to give
him employment during the greater part of the day; and
his professional profits were sufficient to enable him to live
in the manner he chose, and provide for the wants of sickness and old age. After having appeared somewhat feeble
for two or three years, he made known, for the first time,
in the beginning of last November, that he laboured under
a disease of his bladder, though he must then have been
several years affected with it. His ailment was incurable,
and scarcely admitted of palliation. For several months he
was almost constantly in great pain, which he bore manfully. At length, exhausted by his sufferings, he died on
the 2nd of April, 1813, at his house in Bartlett’s buildings,
Holborn, being then in the seventy-first year of his age.
Agreeably to his own desire, his body was interred in the
church-yard of the parish of St. Pancras. His fortune,
amounting to about bOOO/. was, for the most part, bequeathed to sisters and nephews.
en into the family of Thomas, duke of Norfolk, as tutor to his children, and particularly to Philip, earl of Surrey. Such had been Martin’s reputation at college, that
, a learned popish writer, whose
name is so much connected with some protestant writers of
eminence as to deserve a brief notice here, was born at
Maxfield, near Winchelsea, in Sussex, and was admitted
one of the original scholars of St. John’s college, Oxford,
in 1557, by sir Thomas White, the founder. In 1564 he
proceeded M. A. and was afterwards taken into the family
of Thomas, duke of Norfolk, as tutor to his children, and
particularly to Philip, earl of Surrey. Such had been
Martin’s reputation at college, that when the duke paid a
visit to St. John’s, one of the society, in a Latin address to
his grace, introduced his name with this panegyric: “Habes,
illustrissime dux, Hebraeum nostrum, Grsecum nostrum,
poetam nostrum, decus et gloriam nostrum,
” implying
that Martin was their best Hebrew and Greek scholar and
poet, and an ornament to their college. Having embraced
the Roman catholic religion, which he chose no longer to
conceal, he went to the English college at Douay in 1570,
where he was ordained priest in 1573, and licentiate in
divinity in 1575. After a visit in the following year to
Rome, he returned to Doway and taught Hebrew, and
gave lectures on the Scriptures. When the college was
removed to Rheims, he undertook to translate the Bible
into English from the Vulgate, and Dodd is of opinion
that what is called “The Rheims translation,
” may be
entirely ascribed to him. It was. not, however, published
at one time. The New Testament appeared first atRheims
and Antwerp, with Bristow’s notes, and the Old Testament several years afterwards, with the editor, Dr. Worthington’s notes. The New Testament, as we have noticed,
under their respective articles, was answered by Fulk and
Cartwright. Martin died Oct. 28, 1582, atRheims. He
published some other works, a list of which may be seen,
in Wood and Dodd, but is scarcely worth transcribing.
Camden says that in 1584 a book of his appeared in which
queen Elizabeth’s gentlewomen were exhorted to serve her
as Judith had served Holofernes. The catholic "writers,
however, deny this, and apparently with justice.
her father died; and therefore, after great animosities among the nobility, it was agreed, that the earl of Arran, as being by proximity of blood the next heir to the
, queen of Scots, celebrated for her beauty, her wit, her learning, and her misfortunes, was born Dec. 8, 1542, and was the daughter and sole heiress of James the Fifth king of Scots, by Mary of Lorrain, his second queen, and dowager of Longueville. She was not eight days old when her father died; and therefore, after great animosities among the nobility, it was agreed, that the earl of Arran, as being by proximity of blood the next heir to the crown in legitimate descent, and the first peer of Scotland, should be made governor of the kingdom, and guardian of the queen: who remained, in the mean time, with her mother, in the royal palace of Linlithgow. Urgent application being made by Henry VIII. in the behalf of his son Edward, for this princess in her childhood, it was at last agreed between the chief peers of both kingdoms, that she should be given in marriage to that prince; but this was afterwards refused by her governor. She was, according to the custom of the day taught the Latin, French, Spanish, and Italian tongues; in which she afterwards arrived at so great perfection, that few were found equal to her in any of them, and none superior in them all.
ign prince, but make choice of an husband out of her own nobility. She recommended to her either the earl of Leicester, or the lord Dandy; giving her to understand, that
All these accomplishments, added to a fine person, rendered her so amiable to Henry II. of France and his queen, as to make them desirous of marrying her to the dauphin, which was accordingly arranged: and the nuptials were solemnized the 20th of April, 1558. But this happy marriage, for such it seems to have been, lasted only a little while; as Francis II. as he then was, died Dec. 5, 1560. His disconsolate queen, being left without issue, returned soon after to Scotland; where she had not been long, before Charles archduke of Austria was proposed to her as an husband, by the cardinal of Lorrain. But queen Elizabeth interposed, and desired she would not marry with any foreign prince, but make choice of an husband out of her own nobility. She recommended to her either the earl of Leicester, or the lord Dandy; giving her to understand, that her succession to the crown of England would be very pred&rious, if she did not comply. Being thus overawed by Elizabeth, and not a little pleased with lord Darnly, who was extremely handsome, she consented to marry him; and creating him earl of Ross and duke of Rothesay, July 28, 1565, he was the same day proclaimed king at Edinburgh, and married to the queen the day after. By this husband she had one son, born at Edinburgh, June 19, 1566, who was afterwards James the Sixth of Scotland, and the First of England. Queen Elizabeth congratulated her upon this occasion; though, as Camden says, she inwardly grieved at being prevented by her rival in the honour of being a mother. She openly favoured her title to the succession; and the prince was commended to her majesty’s protection.
b. 1567, the new king of Scotland was murdered in a very barbarous manner, by the contrivance of the earl of Murray, who was the queen’s illegitimate brother; and, in
In Feb. 1567, the new king of Scotland was murdered
in a very barbarous manner, by the contrivance of the earl
of Murray, who was the queen’s illegitimate brother; and,
in May following she was married to John Hepburn, earl
of Bothwell, a man of an ambitious temper and dissolute
manners, and who in reality had been lord Darnly’s murderer. From this time a series of infelicities attended her
to the end of her life. The different views and interests of
the nobility, clergy, and gentry, in regard to religious
and political affairs, had so broken the peace of the kingdom, that all things appeared in the greatest disorder and
confusion. The earl of Bothwell was forced to fly into
Denmark to save his life; the queen was seized, carried
prisoner to Lochleven, and was treated on the road with
such scorn and contempt, as her own personal dignity
might, one would think, have prevented. She was conveyed to the provost’s lodgiogs, and committed to the
care of Murray’s mother; who, “having been James
the Fifth’s concubine, insulted much,
” says Camden, “over
the unfortunate and afflicted =queen, boasting that she was
the lawful wife of James the Fifth, and that her son Murray
was his lawful issue.
” What aggravated Mary’s misfortunes was, that she was believed to have been the cause of
lord Darnly’s death, in order to revenge the loss of David
Rizzio, an Italian musician, supposed her gallant, and
whom lord Darnly had killed on that account. Be this as
it will, when queen Elizabeth heard of this treatment of
the queen of Scots, she seemed fired with indignation at
it; and sent sir Nicholas Throgmorton into Scotland, to
expostulate with the conspirators, and to consult by what
means she might be restored to her liberty. But Elizabeth,
as we have noticed in her article, was by no means in.
earnest: she was not the friend to the queen of Scots which
she pretended to be; and, if not in some measure the contriver of these troubles, there is great reason to think that
she secretly rejoiced at them. When queen Elizabeth was
crowned, the queen of Scots had assumed the arms and
title of the kingdom of England, 'an indignity Elizabeth
could never forget, as not thinking herself quite safe while
Mary harboured such pretensions.
His father died in 1753, and in 1754- he went into orders; and through the interest of the earl of “Holdernesse, whose patronage he had obtained, he was preferred
His father died in 1753, and in 1754- he went into orders;
and through the interest of the earl of “Holdernesse, whose
patronage he had obtained, he was preferred to be one of
the king’s chaplains, and received about the same time
the living of Aston. The reputation he had acquired by
the odes of his
” Elfrida,“encouraged him to publish, in
1756, four compositions of that class on <c Memory, Independency, Melancholy, and the Fate of Tyranny,
” which
were not received with favour or kindness. Both ridicule
and legitimate criticism seem to have been employed on
this occasion to expose the wanton profusion of glittering
epithets, and the many instances of studied alliteration
scattered over these odes. Colman and Lloyd, who were
now beginning to look for satirical prey, published two excellent parodies Oh one of them, and on one of Gray’s.
His praise of Andrew Marvell, and attack on bishop Parker,
produced about the same time a dull letter of cet>sure,
which probably gave him less uneasiness than the cool reception of his “Odes,
” by those who then dispensed the
laonours of literary fame. On the death of Gibber, he was
proposed to succeed him as poet laureat; but, instead of
an offer of this place, an apology was made to him by lord
John Cavendish, that “being in orders, he was thought
merely on that account, less eligible for the office than a
layman.*' The notice of this circumstance in his life of
W. Whitehead is followed by a declaration of his indifference.
” A reason so politely put, I was glad to hear
assigned; and if I had thought it a weak one, they who know
me, will readily believe that I am the last man in the world
who would have attempted to controvert it.“The probability, indeed^ is that Mr. Mason would not have thought
himself honoured bv the situation, if compelled to fulfil its
duties; for though by his mediation the office was tendered
to Gray, it was
” with permission to hold it as a mere sinecure."
llected into one volume, and published in 1764, with a beautiful dedicatory sonnet to his patron the earl of Holdernesse. Why he omitted “Isis” from this collection is
In 1762, Mason published “Three Elegies,
” which are
elegant, tender, and correct beyond the productions of any
of his contemporaries. These, with all his former pieces,
except the “Isis
” and the “Installation Ode,
” were collected into one volume, and published in 1764, with a
beautiful dedicatory sonnet to his patron the earl of Holdernesse. Why he omitted “Isis
” from this collection is
not very evident. We have, indeed, his own authority
that he never would have published it, if a surreptitious
copy had not found its way to the press; but, although he
omitted it now, he reprinted it in the third volume of his
poems, published in 1796, when his sentiments on political
topics were more perfectly in unison with those held at
Oxford. MV. Mant, in his life of Mr. T. Warton, informs
us that several years after he had written this elegy, he was
coming into Oxford on horseback; and as he passed over
Magdalen Bridge (it was then evening), he turned to his
friend, and expressed his satisfaction, that, as it was getting
dusk, they should enter the place unnoticed. His friend
did not seem aware of the advantage. “What!
” rejoined
the poet, “do you not remember my Lsis?
” This may be
reckoned an instance of the “harmless and comical vanity
”
which Gray attributed to him when at college. But a more
singular omission occurs in this volume, in the “Ode to a
Water Nymph:
” this formerly concluded with a handsome
compliment to lord Lyttelton, both as a poet and as a
speaker in the senate, which was now removed, and a favourite description substituted. In the same year his majesty presented our author to the canonry and prebend of
Driffield in the cathedral church of York, together with the
precentorship of that church, vacant by the promotion
of Dr. Newton to the bishopric of Bristol.
as born in 1584. His father was Arthur Massinger, a gentleman attached to the family of Henry second earl of Pembroke. He was born at Salisbury, and educated, probably,
, a very eminent dramatic writer,
was born in 1584. His father was Arthur Massinger, a
gentleman attached to the family of Henry second earl of
Pembroke. He was born at Salisbury, and educated,
probably, at Wilton, the seat of the earl of Pembroke.
When he had reached his sixteenth year, he sustained an
irreparable loss in the death of that worthy nobleman, who,
from attachment to the father, would, not improbably,
have extended his powerful patronage to the son. In May
1602 Massinger became a commoner of Aiban-Hall, Oxford, but left it soon without taking a degree. Various
reasons have been assigned for this, as the earl of Pembroke’s withdrawing his support; or the same effect resulting from the death of the poet’s father; but his late excellent editor, Mr. Gifford, is probably right in attributing
his removal to a change in his principles, to his becoming
a Roman catholic. Whatever might be the cause, the
period of his misfortunes commenced with his arrival in
London, where he was driven by his necessities to dedicate
himself to the service of the stage. We hear little, however, of him, from 1606, when he first visited the metropolis, until 1622, when his “Virgin Martyr,
” the first of
his printed works, was given to the stage. For this hiatus,
his biographer accounts by his having assisted others, particularly Fletcher, and his having written some plays
which have perished. He afterwards produced various
plays in succession, of which eighteen only have descended
to us. Massinger died March 17, 1640. He went to bed
in good health, says Langbaine, and was found dead in
his bed in the morning in his own house on the Bankside.
He was buried in the church-yard of St. Saviour’s. It does
not appear from the strictest search, that a stone, or inscription of any kind, marked the place where his dust was
deposited: even the memorial of his mortality is given
with a pathetic brevity, which accords but too well with
the obscure and humble passages of his life: “March 20,
1639-40, buried Philip Massinger, a stranger!
”
So few particulars are known of his private history, that
his life is little more than a detailed account of his various
productions, for which we may refer the reader to Mr.
Gifford’s edition. But, says this editor, though we are
ignorant of every circumstance respecting- Massinger, unless that he lived, wrote, and died, we may yet form to
ourselves some idea of his personal character from the incidental hints scattered through his works. In what light
he was regarded may be collected from the recommendatory poems prefixed to his several plays, in which the
language of his panegyrists, though warm, expresses an
attachment apparently derived not so much from his talents
as his virtues. All the writers of his life unite in representing him as a man of singular modesty, gentleness,
candour, and affability; nor does it appear that he ever
made, or found an enemy. He speaks indeed of opponents on the stage; but the contention of rival candidates
for popular favour mast not be confounded with personal
hostility. With all this, however, he appears to have maintained a constant struggle with adversity; since not only
the stage, from which, perhaps, his natural reserve prevented him from deriving the usual advantages, but even
the bounty of his particular friends, on which he chiefly
relied, left him in a state of absolute dependence. Other
writers for the stage, not superior to him in abilities, had
their periods of good fortune, their bright as well as their
stormy hours; but Massinger seems to have enjoyed no
gleam of sunshine: his life was all one wintry day, and
“shadows, clouds, and darkness
” rested upon it.
was frequently and always favourably received at court. In Charles I.'s reign he was invited by the earl of Strafford, when appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland, to
In 1623, the king conferred the honour of knighthood upon him, and he was frequently and always favourably received at court. In Charles I.'s reign he was invited by the earl of Strafford, when appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland, to accompany him thither, which gave just alarm to some of the council, who probably suspected that his insinuating manners were a cloak to hide his zeal for the advancement of the Romish church in England. Wood, who speaks more favourably of him than he deserves, doubts his being in holy orders; but Dodd, an unquestionable authority in this point, mentions the attestations of various persons who had heard him say mass; and there seems every reason to suppose that he was a spy from the church of Rome. His character being probably understood in this light, when the rebellion broke out he left his country, and joined the Jesuits at Ghent, where he died Oct. 13, 1655.
than 100 copies were taken off, and the plate destroyed. He had nearly finished the “Memoirs of the Earl of Chesterfield” which were completed by his son-in-law Mr.
He was an early and active advocate for inoculation;
and when there was a doubt entertained that one might
have the small-pox after inoculation a second time, tried
it upon himself, unknown to his family. He was a member of the medical club (with the doctors Parsons, Templeman, Fothergill, Watson, and others), which met every
fortnight in St. Paul’s church-yard. He was twice married, viz. the first time to Mrs. Elizabeth Boisragon; and
the second to Mrs. Mary Deners. He left a son and three
daughters. A portrait of Dr. Maty, by his own order, was
engraved after his death by Bartolozzi, to be given to his
friends; of which no more than 100 copies were taken off,
and the plate destroyed. He had nearly finished the
“Memoirs of the Earl of Chesterfield
” which were completed by his son-in-law Mr. Justamond, and prefixed to
that nobleman’s Miscellaneous Works, 1777, 2 vols. 4 to.
al contests of the day, procured him to be appointed one of the managers of the evidence against the earl of Strafford, and that against archbishop Laud. Yet in 1644
, a learned English lawyer, the eldest son of Alexander Maynard, esq. of Tavistock, in Devonshire, was born thereabout 1602. In 1618 he entered as a commoner of Exeter college, Oxford, where, as we have often seen in the case of gentlemen of the law, he took only one degree in arts, and then went to the Middle Temple. After the usual routine of study he was called to the bar, and in 1640 obtained a seat in parliament for Totness. The part he took in the political contests of the day, procured him to be appointed one of the managers of the evidence against the earl of Strafford, and that against archbishop Laud. Yet in 1644 he was appointed, with Bulstrodte Whitlocke, at the particular desire of the lord chancellor of Scotland, and other commissioners from that kingdom, to consult with them and general Fairfax concerning the best method of proceeding against Cromwell as an incendiary between the two kingdoms. He was also one of the laymen nominated in the ordinance of the Lords and Commons to sit with the assembly of Divines, whose object was to establish the presbyterian form of church government in England. Notwithstanding this, we find him in 1647 opposing the violence of the parliament-army, for which he and serjeant Glynn were sent to the Tower; and when the parliament voted that no more addresses should be sent to the king, he told them that by such a vote they dissolved themselves. He even went farther, and after being secluded from his seat in the House of Commons for two months, he broke in among them, and pleaded for the life of the king with such strength of reasoning, that Cromwell several times demanded that he should be brought to the bar of the House.
t of sir Charles Vermuyden, survived him many years, and died in 1721, being then the widow of Henry earl of Suffolk.
In March 1689, sir John was appointed one of the lords commissioners of the great seal of England, and next year was chosen member of parliament for Plymouth; but being now very infirm, he resigned his commissioner’s place, and returned to his house at Gunnersbury, near Ealing, where he died Oct. 9, 1690. He was thrice married. Elizabeth, his first wife, was buried at Ealing in 1654-5. Jane, his second wife (daughter of Cheney Selherst, esq. and relict of Edward Austen, esq.) was buried there in 1668. His last wife, who was daughter of Ambrose Upton, canon of Christ- church, Oxford, and relict of sir Charles Vermuyden, survived him many years, and died in 1721, being then the widow of Henry earl of Suffolk.
1648, and soon after of both his livings. During the time of the usurpation, he was chaplain to the earl of Devonshire, and consequently became the companion of the
, an English poet and divine, was
born at Hatherlagh in Devonshire, in 1604. He received
his education at Westminster-school; and was afterwards
removed to Christ-church in Oxford, when he was about
twenty. He took his bachelor and master of arts degrees in the regular way; and then, entering into holy
orders, was presented by his college to the vicarages of
Cassington, near Woodstock, and of Pyrton, near Watlington in Oxfordshire. He became, says W T ood, “a quaint
preacher, and a noted poet;
” and, in the latter capacity,
distinguished himself by the production of two plays, entitled “The City Match,
” a comedy; and “The Amorous
War,
” a tragi-comedy. When the rebellion broke out,
and Charles I. was obliged to keep his court at Oxford, to
avoid being exposed to the resentment of the populace in
London, where tumults then prevailed, Dr. Mayne was
one of those divines who were appointed to preach before
his majesty. In 1646, he was created a doctor of divinity;
and the year after, printed a sermon at Oxford, “Against
false prophets,
” upon Ezek. xxii. 26. which occasioned a
dispute between him and the memorable antagonist of
Chillingworth, Mr. Cheynell. Cheynell had attacked his
sermon from the pulpit at St. Mary’s in Oxford; and
several letters passed between them, which were published
by Dr. Mayne the same year, in a piece entitled “A
late printed sermon against false prophets vindicated by
letter from the causeless aspersions of Mr. Francis Cheynell; by Jasper Mayne, D. D. the misunderstood author
of it.
” Mayne having said, in one of his letters to Cheynell, that “God, upon a true repentance, is not so fatally
tied to the spindle of absolute reprobation, as not to keep
his promise, and seal merciful pardons;
” Cheynell animadverted upon him in the following terms: “Sir, Reprobatio est tremendum mysterium. How dare you jet
upon such a subject, at the thought of which each Christian trembles? Can any man repent, that is given up to
a reprobate mind and impenitent heart? And is not every
man finally impenitent, save those few to whom God gives
repentance freely, powerfully, effectually? See what it
is for a man to come from Ben Jonson or Lucian, to treat
immediately of the high and stupendous mysteries of religion. The Lord God pardon this wicked thought of your
heart, that you may not perish in the bond of iniquity and
gall of bitterness. Be pleased to study the ixth chapter
to the Romans.
” The same year Mayne published also
another piece, entitled, “OXAOMAXIAj or, the people’s
war examined according to the principles of scripture and
reason, in two of the most plausible pretences of it. ID
answer to a letter sent by a person of quality, who desired
satisfaction.
” In this piece he examines, first, how far the
power of a king, who is truly a king, not one only in name,
extends itself over subjects; secondly, whether any such
power belongs to the king of England; and, thirdly, if
there does, how far it is to be obeyed, and not resisted.
The conclusion he draws is, that the parliamentary resistance to the king was rebellion. We cannot be surprized
if a man of such principles was deprived of his studentship
at Christ-church, in 1648, and soon after of both his livings. During the time of the usurpation, he was chaplain to the earl of Devonshire, and consequently became
the companion of the celebrated Hobbes, who then attended his lordship; but, as Wood informs us, Mayne and
he did not agree well together. At the restoration he
not only recovered both his livings, but, for his services
and attachment to the royal cause, was promoted to a
canonry of Christ-church, and made archdeacon of Chichester, and chaplain in ordinary to his majesty, which
preferments he held to the time of his death, Dec. 6, 1672.
He was interred in the choir at Christ-church, where a
monument was erected for him, at the charge of his executors, Dr. Robert South, and Dr. John Lamphire. By
his will he left 500l. towards the re-building of St. Paul’s
cathedral, and lOOl each to both of his livings. Though
very orthodox in his opinions, and severe in his manners,
he is said to have been a most facetious and pleasant companion, and a great joker. Of this last, Langbaine gives an
instance which affords no very pleasing specimen of Mayne,
either as a serious or a jocular man. Langbaine says that
he had a servant, who had long lived with him; to whom he
bequeathed a trunk, “with something in it,
” as he said,
“which would make him drink after his death.
” The
doctor dying, the servant immediately paid a visit to the
trunk; but instead of a treasure, or at least a valuable
legacy, which he expected, he found Only a red herring.
the time of his death is not specified in our authorities. He wrote a heroic poem, in Latin, on the earl of Ormond and Ossory, entitled “Ormonius, sive illust. herois
, an Irish physician
and poet, was born at Ormond, about the close of the sixteenth century, in the county of Tipperary, and educated
at Oxford. Wood doubts this, because he could find no
record of his matriculation or degrees; but in one of his
writings he styles himself “lately a member of the university of Oxford,
” and it is probable that he took his medical
degrees there, as immediately on his leaving Oxford, he
settled in his own country, and soon attained the highest
eminence in his profession. He was living in 1620, but
the time of his death is not specified in our authorities.
He wrote a heroic poem, in Latin, on the earl of Ormond
and Ossory, entitled “Ormonius, sive illust. herois et Domini D. Thomse Butler, &c. prosapia, &c.
” printed at
London in Pathologia hereditaria generalis, &c.
” Dublin,
Examen Diatribae Thomae Willisii, de Febribus,
” London, Vindicatio
Diatribae Willisii,
” written with much controversial bitterness.
tel. He married young, and came into England in 1686, where he drew portraits for several years. The earl of Leven encouraged him to go to Scotland, and procured him
, a portrait-painter, was the son of Medina de TAsturias, a Spanish captain, who had settled at Brussels, where this son was born in 1659, and was instructed in painting by Du Chatel. He married young, and came into England in 1686, where he drew portraits for several years. The earl of Leven encouraged him to go to Scotland, and procured him a subscription of five hundred pounds worth of business. He accepted the otFer, and, according to Walpole, carried with him a large number of bodies and postures, to which he painted heads. He returned to England for a short time, but went again to Scotland, where he died in 1711, aged fifty-two, and was buried in the Grey Friars church-yard. He was knighted by the duke of Queensbury, lord high commissioner, being the last instance of that honour conferred in Scotland while a separate kingdom. He painted most of the Scotch nobility; but was not rich, having twenty children. The portraits of the professors in the Surgeons’ hall at Edinburgh were painted by him. Walpole notices other portraits by him in England, and adds, that he was capable both of history and landscape. The duke of Gordon presented his portrait to the grand duke of Tuscany, who pLiced it in the gallery at Florence, among the series of eminent artists painted by themselves. The prints in an octavo edition of Milton were designed by him, but Mr. Walpole does not tell us of what date. Sir John’s grandson, John Medina, the last of the family, died at Edinburgh in 1796. He practised painting in some measure, although all we have heard specified is the repair he gave to the series of Scottish kings in Holy rood -house, which are well known to be imaginary portraits.
n the Anecdotes of Bowyer. It was ascribed by Walpole in his “Royal and Noble Authors,” to the first earl of Egmont. Of this work Mr. Melmoth’s son says, in the short
, a learned and worthy
bencher of LincolnVinn, was born in 1666. In conjunction with Mr. Peere Williams, Mr. Melmoth was the publisher of “Vernon’s Reports,
” under an order of the court
of chancery. He had once an intention of printing his own
“Reports;
” and a short time before his death, advertised
them at the end of those of his coadjutor Peere Williams,
as then actually preparing for the press. They have, however, not yet made their appearance. But the performance for which he justly deserves to be held in perpetual
remembrance, is, “The Great Importance of a Religious
Life.
” It is a singular circumstance that the real author
of this most admirable treatise should never have been
publicly known until mentioned in the Anecdotes of
Bowyer. It was ascribed by Walpole in his “Royal and
Noble Authors,
” to the first earl of Egmont. Of this work
Mr. Melmoth’s son says, in the short preface which accompanies it, that “It may add weight, perhaps, to the reflections contained in the following pages, to inform the
reader, that the author’s life was one uniform exemplar of
those precepts, which, with so generous a zeal, and such
an elegant and affecting simplicity of style, he endeavours
to recommend to general practice. He left others to contend for modes of faith, and inflame themselves and the
world with dndless controversy; it was the wiser purpose
of his more ennobled aim, to act up to those clear rules of
conduct which Revelation hath graciously prescribed. He
possessed by temper every moral virtue; by religion every
Christian grace. He had a humanity that melted at every
distress; a charity which not only thought no evil, but
suspected none. He exercised his profession with a skill
and integrity, which nothing could equal, but the disinterested motive that animated his labours, or the amiable
modesty which accompanied all his virtues. He employed
his industry, not to gratify his own desires no man indulged himself less not to accumulate useless wealth no
man more disdained so unworthy a pursuit it was for the
decent advancement of his family, for the generous assistance of his friends, for the ready relief of the indigent.
How often did he exert his distinguished abilities, yet refuse the reward of them, in defence of the widow, the fatherless, and him that had none to help him In a word, few
have ever passed a more useful, not one a more blameless
life y and his whole time was employed either in doing
good, or in meditating it. He died on the 6th day of
April, 1743, and lies buried under the cloister of Lincoln’sinn chapel.
” This passage is repeated in a short tract entitled “Memoirs of a late eminent Advocate,
” published in
from early youth performed the paiuful but indispensable
duty of communing with his own heart, with the severest
and most impartial scrutiny.
” This appears by a copy of
a letter from some eminent casuit, whom he had consulted
respecting certain religious scruples. He was afterwards
perplexed respecting taking the oaths at the revolution,
which happened when he had the prospect of being admitted to the bar. On this occasion he consulted the celebrated Mr. Norris of Bemerton, and a correspondence took
place, part of which is* published in the “Memoirs.
” It
is probable that he was at last convinced of the lawfulness
of the oaths, as he was called to the bar in 1693. There
are other letters and circumstances given in these “Memoirs,
” which tend to raise the character of Mr. Melmoth
as a man of sincerity and humility, not, however, perhaps,
unmixed with what may now be reckoned a degree of superstitious weakness.
h-school of New Aberdeen. Thence he removed into the family of Marshal, to be preceptor to the young earl of that name, and his brother, afterwards marshal Keith; and,
, an ingenious burlesque poet of
Scotland, was born in the parish of Midmar in Aberdeenshire, about 1688. He received a liberal education at the
Marischal college in Aberdeen, and, after finishing his
studies, became one of the teachers in the high-school of
New Aberdeen. Thence he removed into the family of
Marshal, to be preceptor to the young earl of that name,
and his brother, afterwards marshal Keith; and, in 1714,
by the interest of the countess, was appointed professor of
philosophy in the Marischal college. He did not long retain this situation, for, when the rebellion broke out in
1715, he followed the fortunes of his noble patrons, who
made him governor of Dunotter castle. After the defeat
at Sheriffmuir, he lurked among the mountains, till the act
of indemnity was passed, with a few fugitive companions,
for whose amusement and his own, he composed several of
the burlesque poems, which he called “Mother Grim’s
tales.
” He appears to have remained steady to his principles, and consequently was not restored to his professorship but, while the countess of Marshal lived, resided
chiefly in her family where his great pleasantry and liveliness made him always an acceptable guest. After her
death, he must have been for some time without much
provision, till he commenced an academy at Elgin, in conjunction with his brother Mr. Samuel Meston. He was,
however, little formed for prudence and regularity, but
much more given to conviviality; for which cause probably, among others, this academy at Elgin after a time
began to decline. He then successively settled at Turiff,
in Aberdeenshire, and* at Montrose, where he lost his
brother and coadjutor. He made the same attempt at
Perth, but soon after entered as preceptor into the family
of a Mr. Oliphant, Here he continued till his health declined, when he removed to Peterhead for the benefit of
the mineral waters. There he was chiefly supported by
the bounty of the countess of Errol, under whose patronage he had formerly undertaken the academy at TuriflF.
At length he removed to Aberdeen, where he was taken
care of by some relations, till he died of a languishing distemper in the spring of 1745.
ook the degree of B. D. and in 1706 was appointed Greek professor of Oxford. In 1707 he attended the earl of Pembroke, lord lieutenant of Ireland, into that kingdom,
, an English divine and antiquary, was the grandson of the rev. Isaac Milles, rector of High Clear in Hampshire, probably by his second son Jeremiah. His eldest son was Dr. Thomas Milles, bishop of Waterford and Lismore, of whom it may be necessary to give some account, as Mr. Harris the editor and continuator of Ware has admitted a few mistakes, calling him Mills, and stating that he was the son of Joseph Mills. He was educated at Wadham college, Oxford, where he took the degree of B. A. in 1692, and that of M. A. in 1695. He was ordained by bishop Hough. In 1704 he took the degree of B. D. and in 1706 was appointed Greek professor of Oxford. In 1707 he attended the earl of Pembroke, lord lieutenant of Ireland, into that kingdom, and by him was promoted to the see of Waterford and Lismore. He died at Waterford May 13, 1740. He published a few controversial tracts, enumerated by Harris, but is best known by his valuable edition of the works of St. Cyril, published at Oxford in 1703, folio.
t the “L'AIlegro” and “II Penseroso” were also composed here. The Mask of Comus was acted before the earl of Bridgwater, the president of Wales, in 1634, at Ludlow-castle:
He spent five years at his father’s house at Horton, and
during this time exhibited some of the finest specimens of
his genius. The “Comus,
” in Lycidas,
”
in L'AIlegro
” and “II Penseroso
”
were also composed here. The Mask of Comus was acted
before the earl of Bridgwater, the president of Wales, in
1634, at Ludlow-castle: and the characters of the lady
and her two brothers were represented by the lady Alice
Egerton, then about thirteen years of age, and her two
brothers, lord Brackley and Thomas Egerton, who were
still younger. The story of this piece is said to have been
suggested by the circumstance of the lady Alice having
been separated from her company in the night, and havincr
wandered for some time by herself in the forest of Haywood, as she was returning from a distant visit to meet her
father. This admirable drama was set to music by Lawes,
and first published by him in 1637, and, in the dedication
to lord Brackley, he speaks of the work as not openly
acknowledged by the author. The author surely had little
to fear; it would be difficult to discover an age barbarous
enough to refuse the highest honours to the author of a
work so truly poetical. The “Lycidas
” was written, as
there is reason to believe, at the solicitation of the author’s
old college, to commemorate the death of Mr. Edward
King, one of its fellows, a man of great learning, piety,
and talents, who was shipwrecked in his passage from
Chester to Ireland. It formed part of a collection of
poems, published on this melancholy occasion, in 1638, at
the university press; and its being thus printed in a collection, may perhaps diminish the wonder expressed by one
of Milton’s biographers, that a poem, breathing such
hostility to the clergy of the Church of England, and menacing their leader with the axe, should be permitted to
issue from the university press. There is no other way of
accounting for this than by supposing that it had not been
read before it went to press. “Lycidas
” has been severely
criticised by Dr. Johnson, and but feebly supported by
Milton’s other biographers.
About the time that the town of Reading was taken by the earl of Essex, Milton’s father came to reside in his house, and his
About the time that the town of Reading was taken by
the earl of Essex, Milton’s father came to reside in his
house, and his school increased. In 1643, his domestic
comfort was disturbed by an incident which he had hoped
would have rather promoted it. This was his marriage to
Mary, the daughter of Richard Powell, esq. a magistrate
in Oxfordshire, and a loyalist. The lady was brought to
London, but did not remain above a month with her
husband, when under pretence of a visit to her relations, she
wholly absented herself, and resisted his utmost and repeated importunities to return. His biographers inform
us that the lady had been accustomed to the jovial hospitality of the loyalists at her father’s house, and that after a
month’s experience of her new life, she began to sigh for
the gaieties she had left, &c. Whether this will sufficiently account for her conduct, our readers may consider.
Milton, however, appears to have felt the indignity, and
determined to repudiate her for disobedience; and finding
no court of law able to assist him, published some treatises
to justify his intentions; such as “The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce;
” “The Judgment of Martin Bucer,
concerning Divorce,
” &c. In these he argued the point
with great ingenuity, but made few converts, and the
principal notice taken of these writings came in a very
unfortunate shape. The Westminster assembly of divines
procured that the author should be called before the House
of Lords, who did not, however, institute any process on
the matter; but in consequence of this attack, the presbyterian party forfeited his favour, and he ever after treated
them with contempt.
His next publication was, “Observations upon the articles of Peace, which the earl of Ormond had concluded at Kilkenny, on Jan. 17, 1643-9, in
His next publication was, “Observations upon the articles of Peace, which the earl of Ormond had concluded at
Kilkenny, on Jan. 17, 1643-9, in the king’s name, and by
his authority, with the popish Irish rebels,
” &c. The purport of this also was to render the royal cause more odious
by connecting it with the Irish massacre; and that the sentiments of the nation might become yet more completely
republican, he now employed himself in composing “A
History of England.
” Of this, however, he wrote only
six books, which bring it no lower down than to the battle
of Hastings. It presents a perspicuous arrangement of the
fabulous, and less interesting part of our history; but, as
he never resumed the task, it is impossible to say in what
way he could have rendered the events of more recent
times subservient to his purpose. His regicide performance evidently shews that his ideas of our constitution
are totally at variance with the opinions of the most enlightened of our present writers; and he probably found
that even in the favourite republic now established, there
was but little that suited with the order of things he had
projected.
who Wc-s appointed minister for the affuirs of Scotland in 1741. He became also acquainted with the earl of Stair, and it was owing to his application to that nobleman
, knight of the bath, and a distinguished ambassador at the court of Berlin, was the only child of the rev. William Mitchell, formerly of Aberdeen, but then one of the ministers of St. Giles’s, commonly called the high church of Edinburgh. The time of his birth is not specified, but he is said to have been married in 1715, when very young, to a lady who died four years after in child-birth, and whose loss he felt with so much acuteness, as to be obliged to discontinue the study of the law, for which his father had designed him, and divert his grief by travelling, amusements, &c. This mode of life is said to have been the original cause of an extensive acquaintance with the principal noblemen and gentlemen in North Britain, by whom he was esteemed for sense, spirit, and intelligent conversation. Though his progress in the sciences was but small, yet no person had a greater regard for men of learning, and he particularly cultivated the acquaintance of the clergy, and professors of the university of Edinburgh. About 1736 he appears to have paid considerable attention to mathematics under the direction of the celebrated Maclaurin; and soon after began, his political career, as secretary to the marquis of Tweedale, who Wc-s appointed minister for the affuirs of Scotland in 1741. He became also acquainted with the earl of Stair, and it was owing to his application to that nobleman that Dr. (afterwards sir John) Pringle, was in 1742 appointed physician to the British ambassador at the Hague.
ever, and repaired to London, with a view of improving his fortune. Here he got into favour with the earl of Stair and sir Robert Walpole; on the latter of whom he was
, was the son of a stone-cutter in
North-Britain, and was born about 1684. Cibber tells us
that he received an university education while he remained
in that kingdom, but does not specify where. He quitted
his own country, however, and repaired to London, with
a view of improving his fortune. Here he got into favour
with the earl of Stair and sir Robert Walpole; on the latter of whom he was for great part of his life almost entirely
dependent. He received, indeed, so many obligations
from that open-handed statesman, and, from a sense of
gratitude which seems to have been strongly characteristic
of his disposition, was so zealous in his interest, that he
was distinguished by the title of “Sir Robert Walpole’s
poet.
” Notwithstanding this valuable patronage, his natural dissipation of temper, his fondness for pleasure, and
eagerness in the gratification of every irregular appetite,
threw him into perpetual distresses, and all those uneasy
situations which are the inevitable consequences of extravagance. Nor does it appear that, after having experienced, more than once, the fatal effects of those dangerous
follies, he thought of correcting his conduct at a time he
had it in his power: for when, by the death of his wife’s
uncle, several thousand pounds devolved to him, instead
of discharging those debts which he had already contracted,
he lavished the whole away, in the repetition of his former
follies. As to the particulars of his history, there are not
many on record, for his eminence in public character not
rising to such an height as to make the transactions of his
life important to strangers, and the follies of his private
behaviour inducing those who were intimate with him,
rather to conceal than publish his actions, there is a cloud
of obscurity hanging over them, which is neither easy,
nor indeed much worth while, to withdraw from them.
His genius was of the third or fourth rate, yet he lived in
good correspondence with most of the eminent wits of his
time , particularly with Aaron Hill, who on a particular
occasion finding himself unable to relieve him by pecuniary assistance, presented him with the profits and reputation also of a successful dramatic piece, in one act,
entitled “The Fatal Extravagance.
” It was acted and
printed in Mitchell’s name; but he was ingenuous enough
to undeceive the world with regard to its true author, and
on every occasion acknowledged the obligations he lay
under to Hill. The dramatic pieces, which appear under
this gentleman’s name are, 1. “The Fatal Extravagance,
a tragedy,
” The Fatal Extravagance, a
tragedy, enlarged,
” The Highland Fair,
ballad opera,
” He seems to have been a poet of the third rate
he has seldom reached the sublime his humour, in which
he more succeeded, is not strong enough to last his versification holds a statd of mediocrity he possessed but
little invention and if he was not a bad rhimester, he
cannot be denominated a fine poet, for there are but few
marks of genius in his writings.
” His poems were printed
. at Dublin, and bred in the college there; and engaged early in a marriage with a sister of Richard earl of Bellamont, who brought him a daughter in 1677. When the prince
, viscount Molesworth of
Swordes in Ireland, an eminent statesman and polite writer, was descended from a family, anciently seated in the
counties of Northampton and Bedford in England; but his
father having served in the civil wars in Ireland, settled
afterwards in Dublin, where he became an eminent merchant, and died in 1656, leaving his wife pregnant with
this only child, who raised his family to the honours they
now enjoy. He was born in Dec. at Dublin, and bred in
the college there; and engaged early in a marriage with a
sister of Richard earl of Bellamont, who brought him a
daughter in 1677. When the prince of Orange entered
England in 1688, he distinguished himself by an early and
zealous appearance for the revolution, which rendered him
so obnoxious to king James, that he was attainted, and his
estate sequestered by that king’s parliament, May 2, 1689.
But when king William was settled on the throne, he called
this sufferer, for whom he had a particular esteem, into
his privy council; and, in 1692, sent him envoy extraordinary to the court of Denmark. Here he resided above
three years, till, some particulars in his conduct disobliging his Danish majesty, he was forbidden the court.
Pretending business in Flanders, he retired thither without any audience of leave, and came from thence home:
where he was no sooner arrived, than he drew up “An
Account of Denmark;
” in which he represented the government of that country as arbitrary and tyrannical. This
piece was greatly resented by prince George of Denmark,
consort to the princess, afterwards queen Anne; and
Scheel, the Danish envoy, first presented a memorial to
king William, complaining of it, and then furnished materials for an answer, which was executed by Dr. William
King. From King’s account it appears, that Molesworth’s
offence in Denmark was, his boldly pretending to some
privileges, which, by the custom of the country, are denied to every body but the king; as travelling the king’s
road, and hunting the king’s game: which being done, as
is represented, in defiance of opposition, occasioned the
rupture between the envoy and that count. If this allegation have any truth, the fault lay certainly altogether on
the side "of Molesworth whose disregard of the customs:
of the country to which he was sent, cannot be defended.
y as 1758), and translated into several languages. The spirit of it was particularly approved by the earl of Shaftesbury, author of the “Characteristics;” who from thence
In the mean time his book was well received by the
public, reprinted thrice (and as lately as 1758), and translated into several languages. The spirit of it was particularly approved by the earl of Shaftesbury, author of the
“Characteristics;
” who from thence conceived a great esteem for him, which afterwards ripened into a close friendship. Molesworth’s view in writing the “Account of Denmark,
” is clearly intimated in the preface, where he plainly
give us his political, as well as his religious creed. He
censures very severely the clergy in general, for defending
the revolution upon any other principles than those of resistance, and the original contract, which he maintains to
be the true and natural basis of the constitution; and that
all other foundations are false, nonsensical, rotten, derogatory to the then present government, and absolutely destructive to the legal liberties of the English nation. As
the preservation of these depends so much upon the right
education of youth in the universities, he urges, also, in
the strongest terms, the absolute necessity of purging and
reforming those, by a royal visitation: so that the youth
may not be trained up there, as he says they were, in the<
slavish principles of passive obedience and jus divinum,
but may be instituted after the manner of the Greeks and
Romans, who in their academies recommended the duty to
their country, the preservation of the law and public
liberty: subservient to which they preached up moral virtues, such as fortitude, temperance, justice, a contempt
of death, &c. sometimes making use of pious cheats, as
Elysian fields, and an assurance of future happiness, if they
died in the cause of their country; whereby they even deceived their hearers into greatness. This insinuation, that
religion is nothing more than a pious cheat, and an useful
state-engine, together with his pressing morality as the one
thing necessary, without once mentioning the Christian
religion, could not but be very agreeable to the author of
the “Characteristics.
” In reality, it made a remarkably
strong impression on him, as we find him many years
after declaring, in a letter to our author, in these terms:
“You have long had my heart, even before I knew you,
personally. For the holy and truly pious man, who
revealed the greatest of mysteries: he who, with a truly generous love to mankind and his country, pointed out the
state of Denmark to other states, and prophesied of things
highly important to the growing age: he, I say, had already gained me as his sworn friend, before he was so
kind as to make friendship reciprocal, by his acquaintance
and expressed esteem. So that you may believe it no extraordinary transition in me, from making you in truth my
oracle in public affairs, to make you a thorough confident
in my private.
” This private affair was a treaty of marriage
with a relation of our author; and though the design miscarried, yet the whole tenor of the letters testifies the most
intimate friendship between the writers.
father’s friends, for when he waited on the lord chancellor Clarendon with a recommendation from the earl of Albemarle for some compensation for his services, he was
, was the son of sir Francis Monckton, knt. of Cavil Hall, and of Newbold, both in the East-riding of Yorkshire, and descended from an ancient family in that county, who possessed the lordship of Monckton before the place was made a nunnery, which was in the 20th Edward II. (1326). Sir Philip was born at Heck, near Howden, in Yorkshire, and was high sheriff for that county in the 21st Charles II. (1669). He served for some time in parliament for Scarborough, and had been knighted in 1643. His loyalty to Charles I. brought him under the cognizance of the usurpers, and for his loyal services he underwent two banishments, and several imprisonments during the course of the civil war; his grandfather, father, and himself, being all at one time sequestered by Cromwell. In consideration of these services and sufferings, king Charles II. in 1653, wrote a letter to him in his own hand (which was delivered by major Waters) promising that if it pleased God to restore him, he should share with him in his prosperity, as he had been content to do in his adversity; but he afterwards experienced the same ingratitude as many of his father’s friends, for when he waited on the lord chancellor Clarendon with a recommendation from the earl of Albemarle for some compensation for his services, he was treated with the utmost insolence, and dismissed with marked contempt. Sir Philip had been a prisoner in Belvoir castle, and was released on col. Rossiter’s letter to the lord general Fairfax in his favour. He fought at the several battles of Hessey Moor, Marston Moor, Aderton Moor, and at Rowton Heath, near Chester, where he was wounded in his right arm, and was forced to manage his horse with his teeth whilst he fought with his left, when he was again wounded and taken prisoner. He was likewise at the siege of Pontefract castle, and at York. He married miss Eyre, of an ancient family, of Hassop, in Derbyshire. His manuscripts are now in. the possession of his descendant, the lord viscount Galway.
e treasury; and soon after created a peer, being made baron Monk of Potheridge, Beauchamp, and Tees, earl of Torrington, and duke of Albemarle, with a grant of 7000Z.
However, Monk made no scruple of discovering every
step taken by the cavaliers which came to his knowledge,
even to the sending the protector this letter; and joined
in promoting addresses to him from the army, one of which
was received by the protector March 19, 1657, in which
year Monk received a summons to Oliver’s house of lords.
Upon the death of Oliver, Monk joined in an address to
the new protector Richard, whose power, nevertheless, he
foresaw would be but short-lived; it having been his opinion, that Oliver, had he lived much longer, would scarce
have been able to preserve himself in his station. And
indeed Cromwell himself began to be apprehensive of that
great alteration which happened after his death, and fearful that the general was deeply engaged in those measures
which procured it; if we may judge from a letter written
by him to general Monk a little before, to which was added
the following remarkable postscript: “There be that tell
me, that there is a certain cunning fellow in Scotland, called
George Monk, who is said to lie in wait there to introduce
Charles Stuart; I pray you, use your diligence to apprehend him, and send him up to me.
” It belongs to history
to relate all the steps which led to the restoration of Charles
II. and which were ably conducted by Monk. Immediately after that event, he was loaded with pensions and
honours; was made knight of the garter, one of the privycouncil, master of the horse, a gentleman of the bedehamber, first lord-commissioner of the treasury; and soon
after created a peer, being made baron Monk of Potheridge,
Beauchamp, and Tees, earl of Torrington, and duke of
Albemarle, with a grant of 7000Z. per annum, estate of
inheritance, besides other pensions. He received a very
peculiar acknowledgment of regard on being thus called
to the peerage; almost the whole house of commons attending him to the very door of the house of lords, while
he behaved with great moderation, silence, and humility.
This behaviour was really to be admired in a man, who,
by his personal merit, had raised himself within the reach
of a crown, which he had the prudence, or the virtue, to
wave: yet he preserved it to the end of his life: insomuch,
that the king, who used to call him his political father, said,
very highly to his honour, “the duke of Albemarle demeaned himself in such a manner to the prince he had
obliged, as never to seem to overvalue the services of general Monk.*‘ During tRe remainder of his life he was
consulted and employed upon all great occasions by the
king, and a.t the same time appears to have been esteemed
and beloved by his fellow-subjects. In 1664, on the breaking out of the first Dutch war, he was, by the duke of York,
who commanded the fleet, intrusted with the care of the
admiralty: and, the plague breaking out the same year in
London, he was intrusted likewise, with the care of the city
by the king, who retired to Oxford. He was, at the latter
end of the year, appointed joint-admiral of the fleet with
prince Rupert, and distinguished himself with great bravery against the Dutch. In September 1666, the fire of
London occasioned the Duke of Albemarle to be recalled
from the fleet, to assist in quieting the minds of the people;
who expressed their affection and esteem for him, by crying
out publicly, as he passed through the ruine’d streets, that,
” if his grace had been there, the city had not been burned."
The many hardships and fatigues he had undergone in a
military life began to shake his constitution somewhat early;
so that about his 60th year he was attacked with a dropsy;
which, being too much neglected, perhaps on account of
his having been hitherto remarkably healthy, advanced
very rapidly, and put a period to his life, Jan. 3, 1669-7O,
when he was entering his 62d year. He died in the esteem
of his sovereign, and his brother the duke of York, as appears not only from the high posts he enjoyed, and. the
great trust reposed in him by both, but also from the tender
concern shewn by them, in a constant inquiry after his
state during his last illness, and the public' and princely
paid to his memory after his decease; for, his
funeral was honoured with all imaginable pomp and solemnity, and his ashes admitted to mingle with those of the
royal blood; he being interred, April 4, 1670, in Henry
the Vllth’s chapel at Westminster, after his corpse had
lain in state many weeks at Somerset-house.
rved in one of the queen’s ships, but had not the command of it. In 1589, he was vice-admiral to the earl of Cumberland, in his expedition to the Azores islands, and
, a brave English admiral,
was the third son of sir John Monson, of South Carlton, in.
Lincolnshire, and born in 1569. For about two years he
studied at Baliol college, Oxford: but, being of an active
and martial disposition, he soon grew weary of a contemplative life, and applied himself to the sea-service, in which
he became very expert. In the beginning of queen Elizabeth’s war with Spain, he entered on board of ship without the knowledge of his parents; but in 1587 we find he
went out commander of a vessel, and in 1588, he served
in one of the queen’s ships, but had not the command of
it. In 1589, he was vice-admiral to the earl of Cumberland, in his expedition to the Azores islands, and at the
taking of Fayal; but, in their return, suffered such hardships, and contracted such a violent illness from them, as
kept him at home the whole year 1590. “The extremity
we endured,
” says he, “was more terrible than befel any
ship during the eighteen years’ war: for, laying aside the
continual expectation of death by shipwreck, and the daily
mortality of our men, I will speak of our famine, that exceeded all men and ships’ I have known in the course of my
life. For sixteen days together we never tasted a drop of
drink, either beer, wine, or water;and though we had
plenty of beef and pork of a year’s saltirxg, yet did we forbear eating of it for making us the drier. Many drank salt
water, and those that did, died suddenly, and the last words
they usually spake, was, ‘drink, drink, drink’ And I dare
boldly say, that, of five hundred men that were in that
ship seven years before, at this day there is not a man
alive but myself and one more.
”
In 1591, he served a second time under the earl of Cumberland; and the commission was, as all the former were,
In 1591, he served a second time under the earl of
Cumberland; and the commission was, as all the former
were, to act against the Spaniards. They took several of
their ships; and captain Monson, being sent to convoy one
of them to England, was surrounded and taken by six
Spanish gallies, after a long and bloody fight. On this
occasion they detained him as an hostage for the performance of certain covenants, and carried him to Portugal,
where he was kept prisoner two years at Cascais and Lisbon. Not discouraged by this ill-luck, he entered a third
time into the earl’s service, in 1593; and he behaved himself in this, as in all other expeditions, like a brave and
able seaman. In 1594, he was created master of arts at
Oxford; in 151)5, he was married; in 1596, he served in
the expedition to Cadiz, under Walter Devereux, earl of
Essex, to whom he did great service by his wise and moderate counsel, and was deservedly knighted. He was
employed in several other expeditions, and was highly honoured and esteemed during Elizabeth’s reign. Military
men were not king James’s favourites: therefore, after the
death of the queen, he never received either recompence
or preferment, more than his ordinary entertainment or
pay, according to the services he was employed in. However, in 1604-, he was appointed admiral of the Narrow
Seas, in which station he continued till 1616: during which
time he supported the honour of the English flag, against
the insolence of the infant commonwealth of Holland, of
which he frequently complains in his “Naval Tracts;
” and
protected our trade against the encroachments of France.
e Dutch, and his promoting an inquiry into the state of the navy, contrary to the inclination of the earl of Nottingham, then lord high admiral, seems to have been the
Notwithstanding his long and faithful services, he had
the misfortune to fall into disgrace; and, through the resentment of some powerful courtiers, was imprisoned in
the Tower in 1616: but, after having been examined by
the chief justice Coke and secretary Winwood, he was discharged. He wrote a vindication of his conduct, entitled
“Concerning the insolences of the Dutch, and a Justification of sir William Monson
” and directed it to the lord
chancellor Ellesmere, and sir Francis Bacon, attorneygeneral and counsellor. His zeal against the Dutch, and
his promoting an inquiry into the state of the navy, contrary to the inclination of the earl of Nottingham, then lord
high admiral, seems to have been the occasion of his troubles. He had also the misfortune to bring upon himself a
general and popular odium, in retaking lady Arabella
Steuart, after her escape out of England in June 1611,
though it was acting agreeably to his orders and duty. This
lady was confined to the Tower for her marriage with William Seymour, esq. as was pretended; but the true cause
of her confinement was, her being too high allied, and
having a title or claim to the crown of England. Sir William, however, soon recovered his credit at court: for, in
1617, he was called before the privy council, to give his
opinion, how the pirates of Algiers might be suppressed,
and the town attacked. He shewed the impossibility of
taking Algiers, and was against the expedition; notwithstanding which, it was rashly undertaken by Villiers duke
of Buckingham. He was also against two other undertakings, as ill-managed, in 1625 and 162$, namely, the expeditions to Cadiz and the isle of Rhee. He was not employed in these actions, because he objected to the minister’s measures; but, in 1635, it being found necessary to
equip a large fleet, in order to break a confederacy that
was forming between the French and the Dutch, he was
appointed vice-admiral in that armament, and performed
liis duty with great honour and bravery. After that he
was employed no more, but spent the remainder of his
days in peace and privacy, at ins seat at Kinnersley in
Surrey, where he digested and finished his “Naval Tracts,
”
published in Churchill’s “Collection of Voyages.
” He
died there, Feb.
the duke of Burgundy, by the subjects of the church in the Cambresis, for the protection of them as earl of Flanders. Monstrelet also held the office of bailiff to the
, an eminent French
historian, was descended of a noble family, but the names
of his parents, and the period of his birth have not been
discovered. The place of his birth was probably Picardy,
and the time, prior to the close of the fourteenth century.
No particulars of his 'early years are known, except that
he evinced, when young, a love for application, and a
dislike to indolence. The quotations also from Sallust,
Livy, Vegetius, and other ancient authors, that occur in
his Chronicles, shew that he must have made some progress
in Latin literature. He appears to have been resident in
Cambray when he composed his history, and passed there
the remainder of his life. In 1436 he was nominated to
the office of lieutenant du Gavenier of the Cambresis; the
gavenier was the collector or receiver of the annual dues
payable to the duke of Burgundy, by the subjects of the
church in the Cambresis, for the protection of them as
earl of Flanders. Monstrelet also held the office of bailiff
to the chapter of Cambray from 1436 to 1440, when another was appointed. The respect and consideration which
he had now acquired, gained him the dignity of governor
of Cambray in 1444, and in the following year he was nominated bailiff of Wallaincourt. He retained both of those
places until his death, which happened about the middle
of July, in 1453. His character in the register of the Cordeliers, and by the abbot of St. Aubert, was that of “a
very honourable and peaceable man;
” expressions, says his
biographer, that appear simple at first sight, but which
contain a real eulogium, if we consider the troublesome
times in which Monstrelet lived, the places he held, the
interest he must have had sometimes to betray the truth in
favour of one of the factions which then divided France,
and caused the revolutions the history of which he has published during the life of the principal actors.
16, 1661, at Horton in Northamptonshire. He was the son of Mr. George Montague, a younger son of the earl of Manchester. He was educated first in the country, and then
, an English statesman and poet, was born April 16, 1661, at Horton in Northamptonshire. He was the son of Mr. George Montague, a younger son of the earl of Manchester. He was educated first in the country, and then removed to Westminster, where, in 1677, he was chosen a king’s scholar, and recommended himself to the celebrated master of the school, Busby, by his felicity in extemporary epigrams. He contracted a very intimate friendship with Mr. Stepney; and, in 1682, when Stepney was elected to Cambridge, the election of Montague not being to proceed till the year following, he was afraid lest by being placed at Oxford, he might be separated from his companion, and therefore solicited to be removed to Cambridge, without waiting for the advantages of another year. He was now in his twenty-first year, and his relation, Dr. Montague, was then master of Trinity college in which he was placed a fellow-commoner, and took him under his particular care. Here he commenced an acquaintance with, the great Newton, which continued through his life, and was at last attested by a legacy.
In 1685, he wrote some verses on the death of king Charles, which made such an impression on the earl of Dorset, that he was invited to town, and introduced by that
In 1685, he wrote some verses on the death of king
Charles, which made such an impression on the earl of Dorset, that he was invited to town, and introduced by that universal patron to the other wits. In 1687, he joined with.
Prior in “The City Mouse and the Country Mouse,
” one
of his best compositions, which was intended as a burlesque of Dryden’s “Hind and Panther.
” Commencing
his political career, he signed the invitation to the prince
of Orajge, and sat in the convention. He about the same
time married the countess dowager of Manchester, and intended to have taken orders; but afterwards altering his
purpose, he purchased for 1500l. the place of one of the
clerks of the council.
ence from his kingdoms; and, as soon as George I. had taken possession of the throne, he was created earl of Halifax, installed knight of the garter, and expected to
At the accession of queen Anne he was dismissed from the council: and in the first parliament of her reign was again attacked by the Commons, and again escaped by the protection of the Lords. In 1704, he wrote an answer to Bromley’s speech against occasional conformity. He headed the inquiry into the danger of the church. In 1706, he proposed and negociated the union with Scotland; and wheu the elector of Hanover had received the garter, after the act had passed for securing the protestant successipr, he was appointed to carry the ensigns of the order to the electoral court. He sat as one of the judges of Sacheverell; but voted for a mild sentence. Being now no longer in favour, he contrived to obtain a writ for summoning the electoral prince to parliament as duke of Cambridge. At the queen’s death he was appointed one of the regency, during her successor’s absence from his kingdoms; and, as soon as George I. had taken possession of the throne, he was created earl of Halifax, installed knight of the garter, and expected to have been appointed lord high treasurer; but as he was only created first commissioner, he was highly chagrined, nor was he pacified by the above honours, or by the transfer of the place of auditor of the exchequer to his nephew. Inflamed, says Mr. Coxe, by disappointed ambition, he entered into cabals with the tory leaders, for the removal of those with whom he had so long cordially acted; but his death put an end to his intrigues. While he appeared to be in a very vigorous state of health, he was suddenly taken ill, May 15, and died on the 19th, 1715.
ed him baron Montague of St. Neots in Huntingdonshire, viscount Hinchinbroke in the same county, and earl of Sandwich in Kent, He was likewise sworn a member of the privy
His retirement was not of long duration; and upon the nearer approach of the restoration, general Monk having procured him to be replaced in his former rank in the navy, he convoyed the king to England, who made him a knight of the garter, and soon afterwards created him baron Montague of St. Neots in Huntingdonshire, viscount Hinchinbroke in the same county, and earl of Sandwich in Kent, He was likewise sworn a member of the privy council, made master of the king’s wardrobe, admiral of the narrow seas, and lieutenant admiral to the duke of York, as lord high admiral of England. When the Dutch war 'began in 1664, the duke of York took upon him the command of the fleet as high admiral, and the earl of Sandwich commanded the blue squadron; and by his well-timed efforts, a great number of the enemy’s ships were taken. In the great battle, JuneS, 1665, when the Dutch lost their admiral Opdam, and had eighteen men of war taken, and fourteen destroyed, a large share of the honour of the victory was justly assigned to the earl of Sandwich, who also on Sept. 4, of the same year, took eight Dutch men of war, two of their best East India ships, and twenty sail of their merchantmen.
tch fire-ship, covered by the smoke of the enemy, having grappled the Royal James (that on which the earl of Sandwich fought), set her in a flame, and the brave earl
Soon after his return to England, he was sent to the court of Madrid, to negociate a peace between Spain and Portugal, which he not only effected in the most satisfactory manner, but also concluded with the court of Spain, one of the most beneficial treaties of commerce that ever was made for this nation. On the renewal of the Dutch war in 1672, his lordship embarked again with the duke of York, and commanded the blue squadron. The fleet came in sight of the Dutch about break of day, May 28, and in the subsequent engagement he performed such exploits as could not fail to have rendered the victory complete, had he been properly seconded by his squadron, but a Dutch fire-ship, covered by the smoke of the enemy, having grappled the Royal James (that on which the earl of Sandwich fought), set her in a flame, and the brave earl perished with several gallant officers. His body being found about a fortnight afterwards, was, by his majesty’s orders brought to London, and interred with great solemnity in Henry VII.'s chapel, Westminster-abbey. It was supposed by many, though unjustly, that the duke of York did not support him as he might have done towards the beginning of the action; but it was agreed by all, that sir Joseph Jordan, the earl’s vice-admiral, might have disengaged him. His loss occasioned great reflections on the duke; and in the parliament which met at Westminster in Oct. 1680, when the exclusion bill was in debate, soma members openly charged him in the House of Commons with the death of the earl of Sandwich.
ished with “Arlington’s Letters;” and “Original Letters and Negotiations of Sir Richard Fanshaw, the Earl of Sandwich, the Earl of Sunderland, and Sir William Godolphin,
Lord Orford, who has given this nobleman a place iri
his “Catalogue of Royal and Noble Authors,
” mentions of
his writing, “A Letter to Secretary Thurloe,
” in the first
volume of “Thurloe’s State-papers;
” -“Several Letters
during his Embassy to Spain,
” published with “Arlington’s Letters;
” and “Original Letters and Negotiations of
Sir Richard Fanshaw, the Earl of Sandwich, the Earl of
Sunderland, and Sir William Godolphin, wherein divers
matters between the three Crowns of England, Spain, and
Portugal, from 1603 to 1678, are set in a clear light,
” in
2 vols. 8vo. He was also the author of a singular translation, called “The Art of Metals, in which is declared, the
manner of their Generation, and the Concomitants of them,
in two books, written in Spanish by Albaro Alonzo Barba,
M. A. curate of St. Bernard’s parish, in the imperial city
of Potosi, in the kingdom of Peru, in the West Indies, in.
1640; translated in 1669, by the right honourable Edward
earl of Sandwich,
” The original was regarded in Spain and
the West Indies as an inestimable jewel but that, falling
int the earl’s hands, he enriched our language with it,
being content that all our lord the king’s people should be
philosophers.
” There are also some astronomical observations of his in No. 21 of the Philosophical Transactions.
, fourth earl of Sandwich, son of Edward Richard Montague, lord viscount
, fourth earl of Sandwich, son
of Edward Richard Montague, lord viscount Hinchinbroke,
and Elizabeth only daughter of Alexander Popham, esq. of
Littlecote in the county of Wilts, was born in the parish
of St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, Nov. 15, 1718.
He was sent at an early age to Eton school, where, under
the tuition of 'Dr. George, he made a considerable proficiency in the classics. In 1735, he was admitted of Trinity college, Cambridge, and during his residence there,
he and the late lord Halifax were particularly distinguished
for their college exercises; and were the first noblemen
who declaimed publicly in the college chapel. After
spending about two years at Cambridge, he set out on a
voyage round the Mediterranean, his account of which has
recently been published. Mr. Ponsonby, late earl of Besborough, Mr. Nelthorpe, and Mr. Mackye, accompanied
his lordship (for he was now earl of Sandwich) on this
agreeable tour, with Liotard the painter, as we have noticed in his article (vol. XX.) On his lordship’s return to
England, he brought with him, as appears by a letter written by him to the rev. Dr. Dampier, “two mummies and
eight embalmed ibis’s from the catacombs of Memphis a
large quantity of the famous Egyptian papyrus fifteen
intaglios five hundred medals, most of them easier to be
read than that which has the inscription TAMttlN a marble vase from Athens, and a very long inscription as yet
nndecyphered, on both sides of a piece of marble of about
two feet in height.
” This marble was afterwards presented
to Trinity college, and the inscription was explained by
the late learned Dr. Taylor, in 1743, by the title of Marmor Sandvicense.
“The earl of Sandwich,” says his biographer, “was rather to be considered
“The earl of Sandwich,
” says his biographer, “was
rather to be considered as an able and intelligent speaker,
then a brilliant and eloquent orator. In his early parliamentary career, he displayed uncommon knowledge of the
sort of composition adapted to make an impression on a
popular assembly; and from a happy choice of words, and
a judicious arrangement of his argument, he seldom spoke
without producing a sensible effect on the mind of every
impartial auditor. In the latter part of his political life,
and especially during the American war, his harangues
were less remarkable for their grace and ornament, than
for sound sense, and the valuable and appropriate information which they communicated. His speeches, therefore,
were regarded as the lessons of experience and wisdom.
He was never ambitious of obtruding himself upon the
house. He had a peculiar delicacy of forbearance, arising
from a sense of propriety; which, if more generally practised, would tend very much to expedite the public business by compressing the debates, now usually drawn out
to an immeasurable and tiresome length, within more reasonable bounds. If, after having prepared himself on any
important question, when he rose in the house any other
lord first caught the chancellor’s eye, he sat down with the
most accommodating patience; and, if the lord, who spoke
before him, anticipated the sentiments which he meant to
offer, he either did not speak at all, or only spoke to such
points as had not been adverted to by the preceding
speaker. Whenever, therefore, he rose, the House was
assured that he had something material to communicate:
he was accordingly listened to with attention, and seldom
sat down without furnishing their lordships with facts at
once important and interesting; of which no other peer
was so perfectly master as himself. During the period of
the American war he was frequently attacked in both
houses for his official conduct or imputed malversation.
When any such attempts were made in the House of Peers,
he heard his accusers with patience, and with equal temper as firmness refuted their allegations, exposing their
fallacy or their falsehood. On all such occasions, he met
his opponents fairly and openly, in some instances concurring in their motions for papers, which his adversaries
imagined would prove him a negligent minister; in others
resisting their object, by shewing the inexpediency or the
impolicy of complying with their requests. In the parliamentary contest, to which the unfortunate events of the
American war gave rise, he is to be found more than once
rising in reply to the late earl of Chatham; whose extraordinary powers of eloquence inspired sufficient awe to
silence and intimidate even lords of acknowledged ability.
Lord Sandwich never in such cases suffered himself to he
dazzled by the splendor of oratorical talents; or ever spoke
without affording proof that his reply was necessary and
adequate. In fact, his lordship never rose without first
satisfying himself, that the speaker he meant to reply to
was in error; and that a plain statement of the facts in
question would dissipate the delusion, and afford conviction to the house. By this judicious conduct his lordship
secured the respect of those whom he addressed, and commanded at all times an attentive hearing.
”
ital at Greenwich,“published in 1778. Since his death has been published,” A Voyage performed by the Earl of Sandwich round the Mediterranean, in the years 1738 and 1739,
In his private character, his biographer bears testimony
to the easy politeness and affability of his manners his
chearfulness and hospitality the activity of his disposition
and his readiness to perform acts of kindness. Of his
morals less can be said. He was indeed a man of pleasure,
in all the extent of that character; his most harmless enjoyment was music, in which he was at once a man of
taste, a warm enthusiast, and a liberal patron. He is said
to have been the author of a pamphlet, entitled “A State
of Facts relative to Greenwich hospital, 7 ' 1779, in reply
to captain Baillie’s
” Case of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich,“published in 1778. Since his death has been published,
” A Voyage performed by the Earl of Sandwich
round the Mediterranean, in the years 1738 and 1739,
written by himself." This was edited by his chaplain the
rev. John Cooke in 1799, with a memoir of the noble author, from which we have extracted the above particulars.
This noble lord’s narrative is less interesting now than it
would have been about the period when it was written,
and is indeed very imperfect and unsatisfactory, but the
plan and execution of such a voyage are creditable to his
lordship’s taste and youthful ambition.
st daughter of Evelyn Pierrepoint, duke of Kingston, and the laoy Mary Fielding, daughter of William earl of Denbigh. She was born about 1690, and lost her mother in
, an English lady
of distinguished talent, by marriage related to the Sandwich family, was the eldest daughter of Evelyn Pierrepoint,
duke of Kingston, and the laoy Mary Fielding, daughter
of William earl of Denbigh. She was born about 1690,
and lost her mother in 1694. Her capacity for literary
attainments was such as induced her father to provide her
with the same preceptors as viscount Newark, her brother;
and under their tuition, she made great proficiency in the
Greek, Latin, and French languages. Her studies were
afterwards superintended by bishop Burnet, and that part
of life which by females of her rank is usually devoted to
trifling amusements, or more trifling “accomplishments,
”
xvas spent by her in studious retirement, principally at
Thoresby and at Acton, near London. Her society was
confined to a few friends, among whom the most confidential appears to have been Mrs. Anne Wortley, wife of the
hon. Sidney Montagu, second son of the heroic earl of
Sandwich. In this intimacy originated her connection
with Edward Wortley Montagu, esq. the eldest son of this
lady; and after a correspondence of about two years, they
were privately married by special licence, which bears
date August 12, 1712. Mr. Wortley was a man possessed
of solid rather than of brilliant parts, but in parliament,
where at different periods of his life he had represented the
cities of Westminster and Peterborough, and the boroughs
of Huntingdon and Bossiney, he acquired considerable
distinction as a politician and a speaker. In 1714 he was
appointed one of the lords commissioners of the treasury,
and on this occasion his lady was introduced to-the court
of George I. where her beauty, wit, and spirit were universally admired. She lived also in habits of familiar acquaintance with two of the greatest geniuses of the age,
Addison and Pope; but it did not require their discernment to discover that, even at this time, she was a woman
of very superior talents.
Sowden, a clergyman at Rotterdam, to be disposed of as he thought proper. After her death, the late earl of Bute purchased them of Mr. Sowden, but they were scarcely
The year following her death, appeared “Letters of
Lady M y W y M
” in 3 vols. 12mo, of which
publication Mr. Dallaway has given a very curious history.
By this it appears that after lady Mary had collected copies
of the letters which she had written during Mr. Wortley’s
embassy, she transcribed them in two small quarto volumes,
and upon her return to England in 1761, gave them to Mr.
Sowden, a clergyman at Rotterdam, to be disposed of as
he thought proper. After her death, the late earl of Bute
purchased them of Mr. Sowden, but they were scarcely
landed in England when the above mentioned edition was
published. On farther application to Mr. Sowden, it could
only be gathered that two English gentlemen once called
on him to see the letters, and contrived, during his being
called away, to go off with them, although they returned
them next morning with many apologies. Whoever will
look at the three 12mo volumes, may perceive that with
the help of a few amanuenses, there was sufficient time to
transcribe them during this interval. Cleland was the
editor of the publication, and probably one of the “gentlemen
” concerned in the trick of obtaining the copies.
The appearance of these letters, however, excited universal attention, nor on a re-perusal of them at this improved period of female literature, can any thing be deducted from Dr. Smollett’s opinion in the “Critical Review,
” of which he was then conductor. “The publication
of these letters will be an immortal monument to the memory of lady M. W. M. and will shew, as long as the
English language endures, the sprightliness of her wit, the
solidity of her judgment, the elegance of her taste, and
the excellence of her real character. These letters are so
bewitchingly entertaining, that we defy the most phlegmatic man on earth to read one without going through with
them, or after finishing the third volume, not to wish there
were twenty more of them.
” Other critics were not so
enraptured, and seemed to doubt their authenticity, which,
however, is now placed beyond all question by the following- publication, “The Works of the right hon. lady M.
W. M. including her correspondence, poems, and essays,
published by permission (of the Earl of Bute) from her
genuine papers,
” London, neither thinks, speaks, acts, or dresses like any
body;
” and many traits qf her moral conduct were also, it
is to be hoped, exclusively her own.
sed the remainder of his life in foreign parts, In 1762, while at Turin, he wrote two letters to the earl of Macclesfield, which were read at the Royal Society, and afterwards
His mother died in 1762, and left him only one guinea,
he having offended her irreconcileably: but as he was
now independent by his father’s liberal bequest, he once
more took leave of his native country, and passed the remainder of his life in foreign parts, In 1762, while at
Turin, he wrote two letters to the earl of Macclesfield,
which were read at the Royal Society, and afterwards published in a quarto pamphlet, entitled, “Observations
upon a supposed antique bust at Turin.
” In the Philosophical Transactions are also, by him, “New Observations
on Pompey’s Pillar,
” and an account of his journey from
Cairo in Egypt to the Written Mountains in the desarts of
Sinai. It is said that he published “An Explication of the
Causes of Earthquakes;
” but it is not recollected where.
His travels in the East occupied some years, and in the
course of them he first abjured the protestant for the
Roman catholic religion, and then the latter for Mahometanism, all the rite’s and ceremonies of which he performed
with a punctuality which inclines us to think that he was
in some degree deranged! He died at length at Padua in
May 1776, and was buried under a plain slab, in the cloister of the HermitauTs, with an inscription recording his
travels and his talents. The latter would have done honour
to any character, but in him were obscured by a disposition
which it would be more natural to look for in romance than
in real life.
gue, esq. of Denton-hall in Northumberland and Sandleford priory in Berkshire, grandson of the first earl of Sandwich, and member of several successive parliaments for
She had early a love for society, and it was her lot to be introduced to the best. In 1742, she was married to Edward Montague, esq. of Denton-hall in Northumberland and Sandleford priory in Berkshire, grandson of the first earl of Sandwich, and member of several successive parliaments for the borough of Huntingdon. By his connections and her own she obtained an extensive lange of acquaintance, but selected as her especial friends and favourites persons distinguished for taste and talents. By Mr. Montague, who died without issue in 1775, she was left in great opulence, and maintained her establishment in the learned and fashionable world for many years with great eclat, living in a style of most splendid hospitality. She died in her eightieth year, at her house in Portman-square, Aug. 25, 1800.
D. D. in 1681. He was also fellow of that college, and afterwards became chaplain to Heneage Finch, earl of Nottingham, by whose interest he rose to considerable preferments,
, an eminent English prelate, was the son of Thomas Moore of Market- Harborough in Leicestershire, where he was born. He was admitted June 28, 1662, of Clare-hall college, Cambridge, where he took the degree of B. A. in 1665, M. A. in 1669, and D. D. in 1681. He was also fellow of that college, and afterwards became chaplain to Heneage Finch, earl of Nottingham, by whose interest he rose to considerable preferments, and in particular, was promoted to the first prebendal stall in the cathedral church of Ely. His next preferment was the rectory of St. Austin’s, London, to which he was admitted Dec, 3, 1687, but he quitted that Oct. 26, 1689, on his being presented by king William and queen Mary (to whom he was then chaplain in ordinary) to the rectory of St. Andrew’s, Holborn, vacant by the promotion of Dr. Stillingfleet to the see of Worcester. On the deprivation of Dr. William Lloyd, bishop of Norwich, for not taking the oaths to their majesties, he was advanced to that see, and consecrated July 5, 1691, and was thence translated to Ely, July 31, 1707, in which he remained until his death f He died'at Ely-house, in Holborn, July 31, 1714, in his sixty-eighth year. He was interred on the north side of the presbytery of his cathedral church, near his predecessor bishop Patrick, where an elegant monument was erected to his memory.
l studies under Dr. Hunter, and soon after set out for Paris, where he obtained the patronage of the earl of Albemarle, whom he had known in Flanders, and who was now
, a medical and miscellaneous writer,
was the son of the rev. Charles Moore, a minister of the
English church at Stirling, in Scotland, where this, his only
surviving son, was born in 1730. His lather dying in
1735, his mother, who was a native of Glasgow, and had
some property there, removed to that city, and carefully
superintended the early years of her son while at school
and college. Being destined for the profession of medicine, he was placed under Mr. Gordon, a practitioner of
pharmacy and surgery, and at the same time attended such
medical lectures as the college of Glasgow at that time
afforded, which were principally the anatomical lectures of
Dr. Hamilton, and those on the practice of physic by Dr.
Cullen, afterwards the great ornament of the medical
school of Edinburgh. Mr. Moore’s application to his studies must have been more than ordinarily successful, as we
find that in 1747, when only in his seventeenth year, he
went to the continent, under the protection of the duke of
Argyle, and was employed as a mate in one of the military
hospitals at Maestricht, in Brabant, and afterwards at
Flushing. Hence he was promoted to be assistant to the
surgeon of the Coldstream regiment of foot guards,
comman-ded by general Braddock, and after remaining during
the winter of 1748 with this regiment at Breda, came to
England at the conclusion of the peace. At London he
resumed his medical studies under Dr. Hunter, and soon
after set out for Paris, where he obtained the patronage of
the earl of Albemarle, whom he had known in Flanders,
and who was now English ambassador at the court of
France, and immediately appointed Mr. Moore surgeon to
his household. In this situation, although he had an opportunity of being with the ambassador, he preferred to
lodge nearer the hospitals, and other sources of instruction, xvith which a more distant part of the capital abounded,
and visited lord Albemarle’s family only when his assistance
was required. After residing two years in Paris, it was
proposed by Mr. Gordon, who was not insensible to the
assiduity and improvements of his former pupil, that he
should return to Glasgow, and enter into partnership with
him. Mr. Moore, by the advice of his friends, accepted
the invitation, but deemed it proper to take London in his
way, and while there, went through a course under Dr.
Smellie, then a celebrated accoucheur. On his return to
Glasgow, he practised there during the space of two years,
but when a diploma was granted by the university of that
city to his partner, now Dr. Gordon, who chose to prescribe as a physician alone, Mr. Moore still continued to act
as a surgeon; and, as a partner appeared to be necessary,
he chose Mr. Hamilton, professor of anatomy, as his associate. Mr. Moore remained for a considerable period at
Glasgow; but when he had attained his fortieth year, an
incident occurred that gave a new turn to his ideas, and
opeqed new pursuits and situations to a mind naturally
active and inquisitive. James George, duke of Hamilton,
a young nobleman of great promise, being affected with a
consumptive disorder, in 1769, he was attended by Mr.
Moore, who has always spoken of this youth in terms of
the highest admiration; but, as his malady baffled all the
efforts of medicine, he yielded to its pressure, after a lingering illness, in the fifteenth year of his age. This event,
which Mr. Moore recorded, together with the extraordinary
endowments of his patient, on his tomb in the buryingplace at Hamilton, led to a more intimate connection with
this noble family. The late duke of Hamilton, being, like
his brother, of a sickly constitution, his mother, the duchess
f Argyle, determined that he should travel in company
with some gentleman, who to a knowledge of medicine
added an acquaintance with the continent. Both these
qualities were united in the person of Dr. Moore, who by
this time had obtained the degree of M. D. from the university of Glasgow. They accordingly set out together,
and spent a period of no less than five years abroad,
during which they visited France, Italy, Switzerland, and
Germany. On their return, in 1778, Dr. Moore brought
his family from Glasgow to London; and in the course of
the next year appeared the fruits of his travels, in “A View
of Society and Manners in France', Switzerland, and Germany,
” in 2 vols. 8vo. Two years after, in 1781, he published a continuation of the same work, in two additional
volumes, entitled “A View of Society and Manners in
Italy.
” Having spent s6 large a portion of his time either
in Scotland or on the continent, he could not expect suddenly to attain an extensive practice in the capital; nor
indeed was he much consulted, unless by his particular
friends. With a view, however, to practice, he published
in 1785, his “Medical Sketches,
” a work which was favourably received, but made no great alteration in his engagements; and the next work he published was “Zeluco,
”
a novel, which abounds with many interesting events,
arising from uncontrouled passion on the part of a darling
son, and unconditional compliance on that of a fond mother. While enjoying the success of this novel, which was
very considerable, the French revolution began to occupy
the minds and writings of the literary world. Dr. Moore
happened to reside in France in 1792, and witnessed many
of the important scenes of that eventful year, but the massacres of September tending to render a residence in Paris
highly disagreeable, he returned to England; and soon
after his arrival, began to arrange his materials, and in
1795, published “A View of the Causes and Progress of
the French Revolution,
” in 2 vols. 8vo, dedicated to the
Duke of Devonshire. He begins with the reign of Henry
IV. and ends with the execution of the royal family. In
1796 appeared another novel, “Edward: various Views of
Human Nature, taken from Life and Manners chiefly in
England.
” In Mordaunt,
” being “Sketches of Life, Characters, and Manners
in various Countries including the Memoirs of a French
Lady of Quality,
” in 2 vols. 8vo. This chiefly consists of
a series of letters, written by “the honourable John
Mordaunt,
” while confined to his couch at Vevay, in Switzerland, giving an account of what he had seen in Italy, Germany, France, Portugal, &c. The work itself comes under no precise head, being neither a romance, nor a novel,
nor travels: the most proper title would perhaps be that
of “Recollections.
” Dr. Moore was one of the first to
notice the talents of his countryman the unfortunate Robert Burns, who, at his request, drew up an account of
his life, and submitted it to his inspection.
r his escape, which was to have been executed in the following manner: Mr. William Moray, afterwards earl of Dysert, had provided a vessel near Tinmouth, and sir Robert
, one of the founders of the Royal Society, was descended of an ancient and noble family in the Highlands of Scotland, and had his education partly in the university of St. Andrews, and partly in France. In this last country he entered into the army, in the service of Lewis XIII, and became such a favourite with cardinal Richlieu, that few foreigners were held in equal esteem by that great statesman. According to Anthony Wood, sir Robert Moray was general of the ordnance in Scotland, against king Charles 1, when the presbyterians of that kingdom first set up and maintained their covenant. But if this be true, which we apprehend to be very doubtful, he certainly returned to France, and was raised to the rank of colonel, from which country he came over to England for recruits, at the time that king Charles was with the Scotch army at Newcastle. Here he grew into much favour with his majesty, and, about December 1646, formed a design for his escape, which was to have been executed in the following manner: Mr. William Moray, afterwards earl of Dysert, had provided a vessel near Tinmouth, and sir Robert Moray was to have conducted the king thither in a disguise. The matter proceeded so far, that his majesty put himself in the disguise, and went down the back-stairs with sir Robert. But, apprehending that it was scarcely possible to pass all the guards without being discovered, and judging it highly indecent to be taken in such a condition, he changed his resolution, and returned back. Upon the restoration of king Charles II. sir Robert Moray was appointed a privycounsellor for Scotland. Wood says, that, though sir Robert was presbyterianly affected, he had the king’s ear as much as any other person. He was, undoubtedly, in no small degree of esteem with his majesty but this was probably more upon a philosophical than apolitical account for he was employed by Charles the Second in his chymical processes, and was, indeed, the conducter of his laboratory. When the design was formed, in 1661, of restoring episcopacy in Scotland, sir Robert was one, among others, who was for delaying the making of any such change, till the king should be better satisfied concerning the inclinations of the nation. In the next year, sir Robert Moray was included in an act, passed in Scotland, which incapacitated certain persons from holding any place of trust under the government. This act, which was carried by the management of a faction, and to which the lord commissioner (the earl of Middleton) gave the royal assent, without acquainting his majesty with the whole purport of it, was very displeasing to the king, who, when it was delivered to him, declared, that it should never be opened by him. In 1667, sir Robert Moray was considerably entrusted in the management of public affairs in Scotland, and they were then conducted with much greater moderation than they had been for some time before. It is a circumstance highly to his honour, that though the earl of Lauderdale, at the instigation of lady Dysert, had used him very unworthily, yet that nobleman had such an opinion of his virtue and candour, that, whilst he was in Scotland, in 1669, as his majesty’s high commissioner, he trusted all his concerns in the English court to sir Robert’s care. Sir Robert Moray had been formerly the chief friend and main support of the earl of Lauderdale, and had always been his faithful adviser and reprover. Anthony Wood says, that sir Robert was a single man; but this is a mistake; for he had married a sister of lord Balcarras. He died suddenly, in liis pavilion, in the garden of Whitehall, on the 4th of July, 1673, and was interred, at the king’s expence, in Westminster-abbey, near the monument of Sfir William Davenant.
, earl of Peterborough, was the son of John lord Mordaunt, of Reygate,
, earl of Peterborough, was
the son of John lord Mordaunt, of Reygate, in Surrey, and
lord viscount Avalon, in the county of Somerset, by Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Carey, second son of Robert,
earl of Monmouth. He was born about 1658; and, in
1675, succeeded his father in honours and estate. In his
youth he served under the admirals Torrington and Narborough in the Mediterranean, during the war with the
state of Algiers; and, in June 1680, embarked for Africa
with the earl of Plymouth, and distinguished himself at
Tangier, when it was besieged by the Moors. In the
reign of James II. he was one of those lords who manifested
their zeal against the repeal of the test-act; and, disliking
the measures and designs of the court, obtained leave to
go over into Holland, to accept the command of a Dutch
squadron in the West-Indies. On his arrival, he pressed
the prince of Orange to undertake an expedition into
England, representing the matter as extremely easy; but,
his scheme appearing too romantic, his highness only promised him in general, that he should have an eye on the
affairs of England, and endeavour to put those of Holland
in so good a posture as to be ready to act when it should
be necessary: assuring him at the same time, that if the
king should proceed to change the established religion, or
to wrong the princess in her right, or to raise forged plots
to destroy his friends, he would try what could possibly be
done. The reason why the prince would not seem to
enter too hastily into lord MordauntV ideas seems to have
been, because, as Burnet* observes, his lordship was “a
man of much heat, many notions, and full of discourse;
and, tjiough brave and generous, had not true judgment,
his thoughts being crude and indigested, and his secrets
soon known.
” However, he was one of those whom the
prince chiefly trusted, and on whose advice he governed
all his motions.
of the bedchamber, and, in order to attend at the coronation as an earl, advanced to the dignity of earl of Monmouth, April 9, 1689, having the clay before been constituted
In 1688 he accompanied his highness in his expedition into England; and, upon his advancement to the throne, was sworn of the privy council, made one of the lords of the bedchamber, and, in order to attend at the coronation as an earl, advanced to the dignity of earl of Monmouth, April 9, 1689, having the clay before been constituted first commissioner of the treasury. He had likewise the command of the royal regiment of horse, which the city of London had raised for the public service, and of which his majesty was colonel: but, in the beginning of Nov. 1690, he was removed from his post in the treasury. On Juno 19, 1697, upon the death of his uncle Henry earl of Peterborough, he succeeded to that title; and, upon the accession of queen Anne, was designed for the West-Indies, being invested with the commission of captain-general and governor of Jamaica, and commander of the army and fleet for that expedition. In March 1705, he was sworn of the privy-council; and the same year declared general and commander in chief of the forces sent to Spain, and joint admiral of the fleet with sir Cloudsley Shovell, of which, the year following, he had the sole command, sir Cloudsley remaining in the British seas. His taking Barcelona with an handful of men, and relieving it afterwards, when greatly distressed by the enemy; his driving out of Spain the duke of Anjou and the French army, which consisted of twenty-five thousand men, though his own troops never amounted to ten thousand; the possession he gained of Catalonia, of the kingdoms of Valencia, Arragon, and Majorca, with part of Murcia and Castile, and thereby giving opportunity to the earl of Galway of advancing to Madrid without a blow; were all astonishing instances of valour, prudence, and conduct in military affairs, and, together with his wit, ready address, and singularities of character, made him be considered as one of the ablest servants of the public, and one of the most extraordinary characters of his time.
ir time, as he had been of Pryden, who acknowledges his kindness and partiality. The” Account of the Earl of Peterborough’s conduct in Spain,“taken from his original
Lord Peterborough was a man of great courage and
skill as a commander, and was successful in almost all
his undertakings. As a politician, he appears also to much,
advantage, being open, honest, and patriotic in the genuine sense. Lord Or ford has characterized him well in
other respects, as “one of those men of careless wit and
negligent grace, who scatter a thousand bon-mots and
idle verses, which (such) painful compilers (as lord Orford)
gather and hoard, till the owners stare to find themselves
authors. Such was this lord of an advantageous figure,
and enterprizing spirit as gallant as Amadis, and as brave,
but a little more expeditious in his journeys; for he is said
to have seen more kings and more postillions than any man
in Europe.
” He was indeed so active a traveller, according to Dean Swift, that queen Anne’s ministers used to
say, they wrote at him, and not to him . What lord
Peterborough wrote, however, seems scarcely worth notice,
unless in such a publication as the “Royal and Noble
Authors,
” where the freedom of that illustrious company is
bestowed on the smallest contributors to literary amusement. He is said to have produced “La Muse de Cavalier; or, an apology for such gentlemen as make poetry
their diversion, and not their business,
” in a letter inserted
in the “Public Register,
” a periodical work by Dodsley,
A copy of verses on the duchess of Marl-'
borough
” <c Song, by a person of quality,“beginning
” I said to my heart, between sleeping and waking, &c.“inserted in Swift’s Works.
” Remarks on a pamphlet,“respecting the creation of peers, 1719, 8vo; but even for
some of these trifles, the authority is doubtful. His correspondence with Pope is no little credit to that collection.
He was the steady friend and correspondent of Pope, Swift,
and other learned men of their time, as he had been of
Pryden, who acknowledges his kindness and partiality.
The
” Account of the Earl of Peterborough’s conduct in
Spain,“taken from his original letters and papers, was
drawn up by Dr. Freind, and published in 1707, 8vo. Dr.
Jf reind says, that
” he never ordered off a detachment of
a hundred men, without going with them himself.“Of
his own courage his lordship used to say, that it proceeded
from his not knowing his danger; agreeing in opinion with.
Turenne, that a coward had only one of the three faculties
of the mind apprehension. Of his liberality, we have this
instance, that the remittances expected from England, not
coming to his troops when he commanded in Spain, he is
said to have supplied them for some time with money from
his own pocket. In this he differed considerably from his
great contemporary the duke of Marlborough, and the difference is stated in one of his best bon-mots. Being once
taken by the mob for the duke, who was then in disgrace
with them, he would probably have been roughly treated
by these friends to summary justice, had he not addressed
them in these words:
” Gentlemen, I can convince you
by two reasons that I am not the duke. In the first place,
I have only five guineas in my pocket; and in the second,
they are heartily at your service." So throwing his purse
among them, he pursued his way amid loud acclamations.
Many other witticisms may be seen in our authorities,
which are less characteristic.
lated to it by lady Conway’s brother, lord Finch, who was then chancellor of England, and afterwards earl of Nottingham; but soon resigned it to Dr. Edward Fowler, afterwards
In 1675, he accepted a prebend in the church of Gloucester, being collated to it by lady Conway’s brother, lord Finch, who was then chancellor of England, and afterwards earl of Nottingham; but soon resigned it to Dr. Edward Fowler, afterwards bishop of Gloucester, on whom it was conferred at his request. It was thought to be with this view that Dr. More accepted of this preferment, it being the only one he could ever be induced to accept, after he liad devoted himself to a college life, which he did very early for, in 1642, he resigned the rectory of Ingoldsby in Lincolnshire, soon after he had been presented to it by his father, who had bought the perpetual advowson of it for him. Here he made himself a paradise, as he expresses it; and he was so fearful of hurting it by any change in his present situation, that he even declined the mastership of his own college, into which, it is said, he might have been elected in 1654, in preference to Dr. Cudworth. After this, we cannot be surprised that he withstood various solicitations, particularly to accept the deanery of Christ church in Dublin, and the provostship of Trinity college, as well as the deanery of St. Patrick’s; but these he persisted in refusing, although he was assured they were designed only to pave the way to something higher, there being two bishoprics in view offered to his choice, one of which was valued at 1500l. per annum. This attempt to draw him into Ireland proving insufficient, a very good bishopric was procured for him in England; and his friends got him as far as Whitehall, in order to kiss his majesty’s hand for it; but as soon as he understood the business, which had hitherto been concealed from him, he could not be prevailed on to stir a step farther.
tainly a man of parts and politeness, or the poet would never have introduced him, as he did, to the earl of Peterborough’s acquaintance; but his misfortune was, as the
The cause of the quarrel between More and Pope was
this In a letter published in the Daily Journal, March 18,
1728, written by the former, there are the following words:
“Upon reading the third volume of Pope’s Miscellanies, I
found five lines, which I thought excellent and, happening to praise them, a gentleman produced a modern
comedy, * The Rival Modes,' where were the same verses
to a tittle. These gentlemen are undoubtedly the first
plagiaries, who pretend to make a reputation by stealing
from a man’s works in his own life-time, and out of a public print.
” But it appears, from the notes to the Dunciad,
that More himself borrowed the lines from Pope; for, in
a letter to Pope, dated Jan. 27, 1726, he observes, that
“these verses, which he had before given him leave to
insert in ‘ The Rival Modes,’ would be known for his, some
copies being got abroad. He desires nevertheless, that,
since the lines in his comedy have been read to several,
Pope would not deprive it of them.
” As proofs of this
circumstance, are brought the testimonies of lord Bolingbroke, and the lady of Hugh Bethel, esq. to whom the
verses were originally addressed, who knew them to be
Pope’s long before “The Rival Modes
” was written. This
gentleman died in
. in 1621. After a residence of seven years in this college, he was invited to be chaplain to Robert earl of Carnarvon and his lady, with whom he lived till 1640, without
, a learned English bishop, first of Worcester and afterwards of Winchester, was sou of Francis Morley, esq. by a sister of sir John Denham, one of the barons of the Exchequer, and born in Cheapside, London, Feb. 27, 1597. He lost his parents when very young, and also his patrimony, by his father being engaged for other people’s debts. However, at fourteen, he was elected a king’s scholar at Westminster-school, and became a student of Christ-church, Oxford, in 1615; where he took the first degree in arts in 1618, and that of M. A. in 1621. After a residence of seven years in this college, he was invited to be chaplain to Robert earl of Carnarvon and his lady, with whom he lived till 1640, without seeking any preferment in the church. At the end of that time, and in his forty-third year, he was presented to the rectory of Hartfield in Sussex, which being a sinecure, he exchanged for the rectory of Mildenhall in Wiltshire; but, before this exchange, Charles I. to whom he was chaplain in ordinary, had given him a canonry of Christ-church, Oxford, in 1641, the only preferment he ever desired; and of which he gave the first year’s profit to his majesty, towards the charge of the war, then begun. In 1642 he took his degree of D. D. and preached one of the first solemn sermons before the House of Commons; but so little to their liking, that he was not commanded to print it, as all the preachers had been. Yet he was nominated one or the assembly of divines, but never appeared among them, as he preferred to remain with the king, and promote his majesty’s interest. Among other services the king employed him to engage the university of Oxford not to submit to the parliamentary visitation; and such was his success, that the convocation had the spirit to pass an act for that purpose, with only one dissenting voice, although they were then under the power of the enemy. Afterwards he was appointed by the university, with other assistants named by himself, to negociate the surrender of the Oxford garrison to the parliamentary forces, which he managed with great address. Such a decided part, however, could not fail to render him obnoxious; and accordingly in 1647, the committee for reforming the university voted his cauonry vacant. He was offered at the same time to hold it and what else he had, if he would give his word not to appear openly against them and their proceedings; but he preferred suffering with his celebrated colleagues Fell, Sanderson, Hammond, &c. Accordingly in 1648 he was deprived of all his preferments, and imprisoned for some little time. Some months before, he ha been permitted to attend upon the king at Newmarket, a one of his chaplains, and he was one of the divines who as sisted the king at the treaty of Newport in the Isle of Wight. In March 1648-9, he prepared the brave lord Capel for death, and accompanied him to the scaffold on Tower-hill. In 1649 he left England, and waited upon king Charles II. at the Hague, who received him very graciously, and carried him first into France, and afterwards to Breda, with him. But, the king not being permitted to take his own divines with him, when he set out upon his expedition to Scotland, in June 1650, Morley withdrew to the Hague; and, after a short stay there, went and lived with his friend Dr. John Earle at Antwerp, in the house of sir Charles Cotterel. After they had thus continued about a year together, sir Charles being invited to be steward to the queen of Bohemia, and Dr. Earle to attend upon James duke of York in France, Morley then removed into the family of the lady Frances Hyde, wife of sir Edward Hyde, in the same city of Antwerp; and during his residence there, which was three or four years, he read the service of the Church of England twice every day, catechised once a week, and administered the communion once a month, to all the English in that city who would attend; as he did afterwards at Breda, for four years together, in the same family. But, betwixt his going from Antwerp and his coming to Breda, he officiated at the Hague about two years, as chaplain to the queen of Bohemia, without expecting or receiving any reward. As he had been happy at home in the acquaintance and friendship of many eminent men, such as lord Falkland, sir Edward Hyde, Dr. Hammond, Dr. Sanderson, Mr. Chillingworth, Dr. Sheldon, Waller, with whom he had resided at Beaconsfield, &c. so he was also abroad, in that of Bochart, Salmasius, Daniel Heinsius, Rivet, &c.
abo've pieces, except the first and second, were printed together in 1683, 4to. 12. “A Letter to the Earl of Anglesey, concerning the Means to keep out Popery, &c.” printed
10. “Letter to Anne Duchess oF York, some few months
before her death,
” written, Ad Viruni
Janum Ulitium Epistolae dute de Invocatione Sanctorum;
”
written A
Letter to the Earl of Anglesey, concerning the Means to
keep out Popery, &c.
” printed at the end of “A true
Account of the whole Proceedings betwixt James Duke of
Ormond and Arthur Earl of Anglesey,
” Vindication of himself from Mr. Baxter’s injurious Reflexions,
”
&c. An Epitaph for James I.
1625
” which was printed at the end of “Spotswood’s
History of the Church of Scotland
” and is said to have
been the author of, 15. “A Character of King Charles II.
1660
” in one sheet, 4to.
ember 1739. His father, who was a collector of the customs at that port, was descended from Mortimer earl of March, and a man of most respectable character. His uncle
, an English artist, at one time of considerable fame, was born at Eastbourne in the county of Sussex, in November 1739. His father, who was a collector of the customs at that port, was descended from Mortimer earl of March, and a man of most respectable character. His uncle was an itinerant painter, of merit much above mediocrity; from frequently seeing his productions, the nephew imbibed an early fondness for that art, which he afterwards practised with considerable success. His taste for the terrific he is said to have acquired from the scenery of the place, and the tribe of ferocious smugglers, whom it was his father’s duty to watch, whose countenances, unsoftened by social intercourse, were marked with that savage hardihood, which he afterwards so much admired, and sometimes imitated, in the banditti of Salvator Rosa.
ce he escaped to the isle of Ely, and soon after, disguising himself, went to the Continent to Henry earl of Richmond; and it was agreed among the friends of the late
On this account, however, he was considered in no very
favourable light by the protector, afterwards Richard III.
who had no hopes of alluring him to his interests. When
bishop Morton and others were assembled in the Tower on
June 13, 1483, to consult about the coronation of Edward V. the protector came among them, and after some
general discourse turned to the bishop of Ely, and said,
“My lord, you have very good strawberries in your garden
at Holborn, I require you let me have a mess of them.
”
“Gladly, my lord,
” the bishop answered; “I wish I had
some better thing as ready to your pleasure as that.
” Yet,
notwithstanding this apparent civility, Morton, with archbishop Rotheram, lord Stanley, and others, were the same
day taken into custody, as known enemies to the measures
then in agitation. As soon as this was known, the university of Oxford, to which Morton had been a benefactor,
sent a petition in Latin to Richard, pleading for his liberty;
whether with effect does not appear; but it is certain that
for this or some other reason he was soon released from
prison, and given in ward to the duke of Buckingham, then
a warm partizan of Richard, but completely brought over
to the other side by conversation with the bishop. He was
sent to th.e duke’s castle at Brecknock, whence he escaped
to the isle of Ely, and soon after, disguising himself, went
to the Continent to Henry earl of Richmond; and it was
agreed among the friends of the late king’s family and the
well-wishers to the peace and harmony of the kingdom,
that king Edward’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth, should be
pnited to Henry by marriage; and thus, by joining the interests of the white and red rose in one, a coalition might
be formed between the jarring parties of York and Lancaster. All this is said to have been the plan recommended
by Morton, and he lived to see it happily accomplished.
It is indeed that transactiou of his life which gives him a
very honourable place in English history. Horace Walpole
only, in his “Historic Doubts,
” has obliquely accused him.
of violating his allegiance to Richard III.; but to Richard
III. no allegiance was either due, or paid. As Morton
was imprisoned before Richard was crowned, and never set
at liberty until he made his escape, it seems highly probable that no oath of allegiance was ever tendered to him.
by the usurper.
resented to the rectory of Long Marston four miles from York. He was afterwards made chaplain to the earl of Huntingdon, lord president of the North, who selected him
, a learned English bishop in the
seventeenth century, was of the same family with cardinal
Morton, and was the sixth son of nineteen children of Mr.
Richard Morton, an eminent mercer and alderman of York,
by Elizabeth Leedale his wife. He was born at York,
March 20, 1564, and was 6rst educated there under Mr. Pullen, and afterwards at Halifax under Mr. Maud. In 1582
he was sent to St. John’s college in Cambridge, and placed
under the tuition of Mr. Anthony Higgon, afterwards dean
of Rippon, who left him to the care of Mr. Henry Nelson,
afterwards rector of Hougham ia Lincolnshire, who lived
to see his pupil bishop of Durham, and many years after.
In the beginning of November 1584, he was chosen to a
scholarship of Constable’s foundation, peculiar to his native county of York; and in 1586 took the degree of bachelor of arts, and in 1590 that of master, having performed the exercises requisite to each degree with great
applause. He continued his studies at his father’s charge
until March 17, 1592, when he was admitted fellow, of the
foundation of Dr. Keyson, merely on account of his merit,
against eight competitors for the place. About the same
time he was chosen logic lecturer of the university, which,
office he discharged with ^reat skill and diligence, as appeared from his lectures found among his papers. The
same year he was ordained deacon, and the year following
priest by Richard Rowland, bishop of Peterborough. He
continued five years after this in the college, pursuing his
private studies, and instructing pupils. In 1598 he took
the degree of bachelor of divinity; and ahout the same
year was presented to the rectory of Long Marston four
miles from York. He was afterwards made chaplain to the
earl of Huntingdon, lord president of the North, who selected him for his zeal and acuteness in disputing with the
Romish recusants. It was queen Elizabeth’s command to
his lordship, to prefer arguments to force with these people: and this she expressed, as the earl used to say, in the
words of scripture, “Nolo mortem peccatoris.
” Afterwards, when lord Huntingdon was dead, and lord Sheffield
was appointed lord president, Morton held a public conference before his lordship and the council, at the manor-,
house at York, with two popish recusants, then prisoners
in the castle. In 1602, when the plague raged in that
city, he behaved with the greatest charity and resolution.
The year following, the lord Eure being appointed ambassador-extraordinary to the emperor of Germany, and king
of Denmark, Morton attended him as chaplain, along with
Mr. Richard Crakenthorp, and took this opportunity to
make a valuable collection of books, as well as to visit the
universities of Germany. At his return he became chapJain to Roger earl of Rutland, and was afterwards presented
by archbishop Matthews to a prebend in the cathedral of
York. In 1606 he took the degree of doctor of divinity;
and about the same time was sworn chaplain in ordinary to
king James I. and preferred to the deanery of Gloucester,
June 22, 1607. While he was dean there, the lord Eure
above mentioned, then lord president of Wales, appointed
him one of his majesty’s council for the marches. In 1609,
he was removed to the deanery of Winchester; and while
there, the bishop (Bilson) collated him to the rectory of
Alesford. In the same year, Dr. Sutcliff, dean of Exeter,
founding a college at Chelsea, for divines to be employed
in defending the protestant religion against the papists, he
was appointed one of the fellows. About this time, he
became acquainted with Isaac Casaubon. In 1615, he
was advanced to the see of Chester and, in 1618, to that
of Lichfield and Coventry about which time he became
acquainted with Antonio de Dominis, abp. of Spalato,
whom he endeavoured to dissuade from returning to Rome.
The archbishop’s pretence for going thither was, to attempt
an unity between the church of Rome and that of England, upon those terms which he had laid down in his
book entitled “De Repnblica Christiana.
”
efore the death of Charles I.; and then went to Exeter-house in the Strand, at the invitation of the earl of Rutland, where he continued but a short time. After several
out of the Old and New Testament, he over to him. He died at about twentycotnmitted them perfectly to memory, six years of a$e,
iipon his uncle’s twice reading them
granted at first by the lady Saville, in the minority of her
son sir George, and afterwards confirmed by himself when
he came to be of age. At last he was obliged to quit
Durham-yard, by the soldiers who came to garrison it, a
little before the death of Charles I.; and then went to
Exeter-house in the Strand, at the invitation of the earl of
Rutland, where he continued but a short time. After several removals, he took up his abode with sir Henry Yelverton, at Easton Mauduit in Northamptonshire, where he
died Sept. 22, 1659, in his ninety-fifth year. His funeral
sermon was preached by Dr. John Barwick, afterwards dean
of St. Paul’s, and printed at London, in 1660, under this
title, “Ιερονικησ: or, The Fight, Victory, and Triumph,
of St. Paul, accommodated to the Right Rev. Father in
God, Thomas, late Lord Bishop of Duresme.
”
necessary to continue him in that court much against his inclination. In 1549 he was joined with the earl of Warwick, viscount Lisle, sir William Paget, sir William Petre,
, a statesman
of great learning, prudence, and integrity, is supposed by
some to have been born in Essex, and by others in Oxfordshire; but the visitations of Hertfordshire inform us
that he was the son of Thomas Morysin of that county
(descended from a Yorkshire family), by a daughter of
Thomas Merrey of Hatfield. Wood having supposed him
born in Oxfordshire, asserts that he spent several years at
Oxford university, in “Log;cals and philosophical,
” and
took a degree in arts. But Mr. Lodge says that he was
educated at Eton, and in the university of Cambridge,
from whence he went, with the reputation of an excellent
Greek and Latin scholar, to the inns of court, where he
became a proficient in the common and civil law. According, however, to Wood and others, he had previously to
this, travelled to Italy, with an intention to improve his
knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages. Padua, in
particular, was one of the places he visited, and he remained there until 1537, and soon after his return was
made prebendary of Yatminster Secunda in the church of
Salisbury, which dignity he kept until 1539. About 1541,
Henry VI 11. is said to have given him the library belonging to the Carmelites in London. The same sovereign sent
him ambassador to the emperor Charles V. and he had acquired by long habit, so thorough a knowledge of the various factions which distracted the empire, that the ministers of king Edward VI. found it necessary to continue
him in that court much against his inclination. In 1549
he was joined with the earl of Warwick, viscount Lisle, sir
William Paget, sir William Petre, bishops Holbeach and
Hethe, and other personages, in a commission to hold
visitation at Oxford, in order to promote the reformation,
and their commission also extended to the chapel of Windsor and Winchester college. The celebrated Peter Martyr
preached before them, on their entering on business, and
was much noticed and patronized by Morysin. From Edward VI. he received the honour of knighthood, and appears to have gone again abroad, as Mr. Lodge gives us a
long letter from him relating to the affairs of the imperial
court, dated Brussels, Feb. 20, 1553. He returned not
long before that prince’s death, and was employed in building a superb mansion at Cashiobury, in Hertfordshire, a
manor which had been granted to him by Henry VIIL
when queen Mary’s violent measures against the protestants compelled him to quit England, and after residing
a short time in Italy, he returned to Strasburgh, and died
there, March 17, 1556. He married Bridget, daughter
of John lord Hussey, and left a son and three daughters
sir Charles, who settled at Cashiobury Elizabeth, married, first, to William Norreys, son and heir to Henry
lordNorreys; secondly, to Henry Clinton, earl of Lincoln Mary, to Bartholomew Hales, of Chesterfield in
Derbyshire and Jane, to Edward lord Russel, eldest son
of the earl of Bedford, and afterwards to Arthur lord
Grey of Wilton. The family of Morysin ended in an
heiress, Mary (great grand-daughter of sir Richard), who
married Arthur lord Capel of Hadham, an ancestor of the
present earl of Essex.
fore him, which being a suspicious circumstance, they immediately seized, and carried him before the earl of Nottingham, then secretary of state. His lordship, who, however,
, a dramatic and miscellaneous
writer, was the son of colonel Mottley, who was a great
favourite with king James II. and followed the fortunes of
that prince into France. James, not being able himself to
provide for him so well as he desired, procured for him,
by his interest, the command of a regiment in the service
of Louis XIV. at the head of which he lost his life in the
battle of Turin, in 1706. The colonel married a daughter
of John Guise, esq. of Abload’s Court, in Gloucestershire,
with whom, by the death of a brother, who left her his
whole estate, he had a very considerable fortune. The
family of the Guises, however, being of principles diametrically opposite to those of the colonel, and zealous friends
to the revolution, Mrs. Mottley, notwithstanding the tenderest affection for her husband, and repeated invitations
from the king and queen, then at St. Germains, preferred
living at home on the scanty remains of what he had left
behind. The colonel was sent over to England three or
four years after the revolution, on a secret commission
from king James; and during his stay our author was born,
in 1692. Mr. Mottley received the first rudiments of his
education at St. Martin’s library-school, founded by archbishop Tenison; but was placed in the excise-office at
sixteen years of age, under the comptroller, lord viscount
Howe, whose brother and sister were both related by marriage to his mother. This situation he retained till 1720,
when, in consequence of an unhappy contract he had
made, probably in pursuit of some of the bubbles of that
infatuated year, he was obliged to resign it. Soon after
the accession of George I. Mr. Mottley had been promised
by the lord Halifax, at that time first lord of the treasury,
the place of one of the commissioners of the wine-licence
office; but when the day came that his name should have
been inserted in the patent, a more powerful interest, to
his great surprize, had stepped in between him and the
preferment, of which he had so positive a promise. This,
however, was not the only disappointment of that kind
which this gentleman met with; for, at the period above
mentioned, when he parted with his place in the excise,
he had one in the exchequer absolutely given to him by
sir Robert Walpole, to whom he lay under many other
obligations; but in this case as well as the preceding, he
found that the minister had made a prior promise of it to
another, and he was obliged to relinquish it. Other domestic embarrassments induced him to employ his pen,
which had hitherto been only his amusement, for the
means of immediate support; and he wrote his first play,
“The Imperial Captives,
” which met witU tolerable success. From that time he depended chiefly on his literary
abilities for a maintenance, and wrote five dramatic pieces,
with various success. He had also a hand in the composition of that many-fathered piece, “The Devil to Pay.
”
He published in Life of the great Czar Peter,
”
3 vols. 8vo, by subscription, in which he met with the
I sanction of some of the royal family, and great numbers of
the nobility and gentry; and, on occasion of one of his
benefits, which happened Nov. 3, queen Caroline, on the
30th of the preceding month (being the prince of Wales’s birth-day), did the author the singular honour of disposing
of a great number of his tickets, with her own hand, in the
drawing-room, most of which were paid for in gold, into
the hands of colonel Schutz, his royal highness’s privypurse, from whom Mr. Mottley received it, with the addition of a very liberal present from the prince himself. Jn
1744 he published in 2 vols. 8vo, “The History of the
Life and Reign of the empress Catherine of Russia.
” Both
this and the preceding are compilations from the journals
and annals of the day, but are now valuable from the
scarcity of those authorities. He died Oct. 30, 1750. It
has been surmised, with some appearance of reason, that
Mr. Mottley was the compiler of the lives of the dramatic
writers, published at the end of Whincop’s “Scanderbeg.
”
It is certain that the life of Mr. Mottley, in that work, is
rendered one of the most important in it, and is particularized by such a number of various incidents, as it seems
improbable should be known by any but either himself or
some one nearly related to him. Among others he relates
the following humourous anecdote. When colonel Mottley, our author’s father, came over, as has been before
related, on a secret commission from the abdicated monarch, the government, who had by some means intelligence of it, were very diligent in their endeavours to have
him seized. The colonel, however, was happy enough to
elude their search; but several other persons were, at different times, seized through mistake for him. Among the
rest, it being very well known that he frequently supped
at the Blue Posts tavern, in the Hay-Market, with one
Mr. Tredenhatn, a Cornish gentleman, particular directions
were given for searching that house. Colonel Mottley,
however, happening not to be there, the messengers found
Mr. Tredenham alone, and with a heap of papers before
him, which being a suspicious circumstance, they immediately seized, and carried him before the earl of Nottingham, then secretary of state. His lordship, who, however,
could not avoid knowing him, as he was a member of the
House of Commons, and nephew to the famous sir Edward
Seymour, asked him what all those papers contained. Mr.
Tredenham made answer, that they were only the several
scenes of a play, which he had been scribbling for the
amusement of a few leisure-hours. Lord Nottingham then
only desired leave just to look over them, which having
done for some little time, he returned them again to the
author, assuring him that he was perfectly satisfied; “for,
upon my word,
” said he, “I can find no plot in them,
”
carry the ensigns of the order of the ganer to the king of Denmark. He likewise was in camp with the earl of Essex in Normandy, probably in 1591. He spent much of the
, a physician and
naturalist of the sixteenth century, was born in London,
in or near St. Leonard’s-* parish, Shoreditch, as Wood
conjectures, where he received his early education. He
was then sent to Cambridge, as we learn from his “Health’s
Improvement,
” and not to Oxford, as Wood says; and
afterwards travelled through several of the countries of
Europe, contracting an acquaintance with many of the
most eminent foreign physicians and chemists. Before his
return he had taken the degree of M. D. in which he was
incorporated at Cambridge in 1582, and settled in London,
where he practised ph) sic with considerable reputation.
It appears also, that he resided for some time at Ipswich.
He was particularly patronized by Peregrine Bertie, lord
Willoughby, and accompanied him on his embassy, to
carry the ensigns of the order of the ganer to the king of
Denmark. He likewise was in camp with the earl of Essex
in Normandy, probably in 1591. He spent much of the
latter part of his life at Bulbridge, near Wilton, in Wiltshire, as a retainer to the Pembroke family, from which
he received an annual pension. He died in that retirement, about the end of queen Elizabeth’s reign.
nd was incorporated in the same degree at the university of Cambridge. He was patronized by Richard, earl of Cork, who appointed him governor to his sons, whom he afterwards
, son of the preceding, and a
clergyman of the church of England, was born at Paris,
about 1600. He studied at Leyden, where he was admitted
to the degree of doctor of divinity. He afterwards came
to England, and was incorporated in the same degree at
the university of Cambridge. He was patronized by Richard, earl of Cork, who appointed him governor to his
sons, whom he afterwards accompanied to Oxford. Here
Du Moulin remained two years or more, and preached frequently in the church of St. Peter in the East. After the
restoration of Charles II. he was appointed chaplain in
ordinary to his majesty, and a prebendary of Canterbury,
in which city he spent the remainder of his life. He died
in 1684, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. He was
author of several works, of which we may mention, 1.
“The Peace of the Soul;
” a translation of which was
published by Dr. John Scrope, in 1765, 2 vols. 2. “A
Defence of the, Protestant Religion.
” Of this book the
reader may see a curious account in Gent. Mag. vol. XLIII.
p. 369. He was author of the famous work entitled “Regii Sanguinis Clamor ad Coelum,
” which was published at
the Hague, in
eland. In 1743 he distinguished himself in the famous trial between James Annesley, esq. and Richard earl of Anglesey. In 1759 he married the countess dowager of Mount
, an English lawyer, and classical editor, the son of Richard
Mounteney of Putney in Surrey, was born there in 1707,
and educated at Eton school, whence he went, in 1725,
to King’s college, Cambridge, and took his degrees of
A. B. in 1729, and A. M. 1735, and obtained a fellowship.
He then studied law in the Inner Temple, and became, in
1737, one of the barons of the exchequer in Ireland. In
1743 he distinguished himself in the famous trial between
James Annesley, esq. and Richard earl of Anglesey. In
1759 he married the countess dowager of Mount Alexander, and died in 1768. To these scanty memoirs, we
have only to add that, in 1731, he published the first edition of his “Select Orations
” of Demosthenes, which has
been often reprinted, but seldom with accuracy. The best
part of the work is the critical observations upon the Ulpian commentary by Dr. Chapman, fellow of King’s college,
Cambridge; and perhaps the most curious is his dedication
to the deceased sir Robert Walpole, in the edition of
1748. It was to the Walpoles he owed his promotions.
In 1748 he also published “Observations on the probable
issue of the Congress,
” 8vo, printed by Mr. Bowyer.
Mounteney’s Demosthenes was long a favourite book with
the university students to give up, as it is called, on their
examinations, but at Oxford it has of late been rejected
by the examiners, as an insufficient proof of classical proficiency.
e secrets at court. He was present with king James at Perth, 1600, when the famous conspiracy of the earl of Gowry took place; but the account he has given us of that
, a political character, was born at
Lanerk, in Scotland, 1573, and, while very young, became one of the pages to king James, and afterwards one
of the gentlemen of his privy chamber. In that station he
continued many years, and became well acquainted with
most of the secrets at court. He was present with king
James at Perth, 1600, when the famous conspiracy of the
earl of Gowry took place; but the account he has given
us of that problematical affair contains nothing either interesting or satisfactory. He accompanied king James into
England, where he remained some years; but afterwards
returned to Scotland, and spent his days in retirement. He
kept a diary of what passed at court, the ms. of which is
now in the advocates’ library in Edinburgh; and an edition of it was printed in 1753, under the title of “Memoirs
of the affairs of Scotland from 1577 to 1603, with a discourse on the conspiracy of Cowrie,
” Edin. 12mo. It
contains many curious particulars, which have not been
taken notice of by general historians. He died at Edinburgh, 1630, aged fifty-seven.
ficiating minister of a chapel of ease at Birmingham, and had a small living presented to him by the earl of Aylesford. He was not only greatly distinguished by his learning,
, an eminent mechanist, was born
at Exeter, September 1715. He was the second son of
the rev. Zachariah Mudge, prebendary of Exeter, and
vicar of St. Andrew’s, Plymouth, who died April 3, 1769,
and was honoured by Dr. Johnson with a very elegant
testimony of respect, which was inserted in the London
Chronicle at that time, and may be seen in Mr. Boswell’s
Life of the doctor. Mr. Z. Mudge had three other sons
besides the subject of this article. The eldest, Zachariah,
was a surgeon and apothecary at Taunton, and afterwards
surgeon on board an East Indiaman; he died in 1753 on
ship-board, in the river Canton in China. The third, the
rev. Richard Mudge, was officiating minister of a chapel
of ease at Birmingham, and had a small living presented
to him by the earl of Aylesford. He was not only greatly
distinguished by his learning, but by his genius for music.
He excelled as a composer for the harpsichord; and as a
performer on that instrument is said to have been highly
complimented by Handel himself. The fourth son, John,
was originally a surgeon and apothecary at Plymouth, but
during the latter part of his life practised as a physician
with great success. Like his brother Thomas, he had great
mechanical talents; and, until prevented by the enlargement of his practice, he found time to prosecute improvements in rectifying telescopes. In 1777 the Royal Society
adjudged to him Sir Godfrey Copley’s gold medal, for a
paper which he presented to that learned body on the best
methods of grinding the specula of reflecting telescopes.
He also considerably improved the inhaler, an ingenious
contrivance for the curing of coughs, by inhaling steam.
In 1777 he published “A Dissertation on the inoculated
Small-pox;
” which was followed, some years after, by
“A Treatise on the Catarrhous Cough and Vis Vitae.
” He
died in
that of Lustleigh through count BruhPs interest with the hon. Percy Charles Wyndham, brother to the earl of Egremont.
Two anecdotes deserve to be recorded, as striking proofs of Mr. Mudge’s great mental powers: count Bruhl, when he first came to England in his diplomatic capacity, brought an ingenious watch from Paris, made by the celebrated Bertoud, intending it as a present to his majesty. This watch, however, not performing its offices, was sent back to the inventor, in or$|er to be rectified. After its return, it still continued imperfect; and, on further applications to M. Bertoud, that artist acknowledged, with great candour, that, although he thought the principles on which his watch was constructed were good, he was himself unable to carry them into effect. The count then applied to Mr. Mudge, requesting him to undertake the task but, deeming it an indelicate circumstance to interfere with the inventions of another artist, Mr. Mudge expressed the greatest reluctance on the occasion. The importunity of the 'count, however, added to the gratitude which he feit for the distinguishing marks of esteem he had already received, induced Mr. Mudge, at last, to wave his objections; and he had the satisfaction to be completely successful. The other anecdote relates to a large and complicated watch belonging to his majesty, which had long gone so ill that it had been repeatedly put into the hands of the most distinguished watchmakers, to be repaired; all of whom, though confident in their abilities to give it the requisite perfection, had been obliged to abandon the watch as incapable of amendment. It was then put into the hands of Mr. Mudge, who happily succeeded. This circumstance gave his majesty a very high opinion of his superiority over every other watch maker. In 1777, he appointed him his watchmaker, and often honoured him with conferences on mechanical subjects. Her majesty likewise expressed a great esteem, not only for his talents as an artist, but for his character as a man. At one time, she presented him with fifty guineas for only cleaning a watch; and it was through her recommendation to the lord chancellor, that his second son obtained the living of Bramford Speke, as he did afterward that of Lustleigh through count BruhPs interest with the hon. Percy Charles Wyndham, brother to the earl of Egremont.
e from the credit of this narrative to observe, that our author was, after this time, servant to the earl of Oxford, and a messenger of the queen’s bed-chamber, posts
It will take from the credit of this narrative to observe, that our author was, after this time, servant to the earl of Oxford, and a messenger of the queen’s bed-chamber, posts which he would scarcely have held had his character been so infamous as is represented above.
, an eminent English lawyer, was fourth son of David, earl of Stormont, and was born March 2, 1705, at Perth, in Scotland.
, an eminent English lawyer, was fourth son of David, earl of Stormont, and was born March 2, 1705, at Perth, in Scotland. He was brought to England at the age of three years, for his education, which accounts for his always being free from the accent so peculiar in the natives of that country. He was educated at Westminster-school, being admitted a king’s scholar at the age of fourteen years. During the time of his being at school, he afforded proofs of his ability, not so much in poetry, as in declamation, and other exercises, which gave promise of the eloquence that grew up to such perfection when at the bar, and in parliament. At the election in May 1723, he stood first on the list of those scholars who were to go to Oxford, and was entered of Christ church June 18 of that year, where in 1727, he appears to have taken the degree of bachelor of arts; and, on the death of king George I. he was amongst those who contributed their poetical compositions, in Latin, on that event.