sed them sincerely to consult their own consciences. This was what he said to the clergy; and when a grandson of his, Dr. William Thomas, of whom we shall speak hereafter,
While the king was at Worcester, the neighbouring dissenters of all denominations sent their addresses to hira^
which the earl of Plymouth, being lord-lieutenant, was to
receive, and to deliver to the king. When he brought the
two first the king asked him what religion the men who
brought them were of. “Indeed, sir,
” replied the lordlieutenant, “I did not ask them; but I know by their looks
they are neither of your religion, nor mine.
” But now the
good bishop’s troubles drew on apace: the penal laws
against nonconformists were suspended; and May 4, 1688,
the king ordered the bishops to take care that his declaration should be read in the neighbourhood of London, on
the 20th and 27th of the said month, and in all other
churches and chapels the 3d and 10th of June. The archbishop and six bishops presented a petition against it;
the consequence of which was, that they were sent to the
Tower; this was a great grief to the bishop, not that he
was concerned for any fault or misbehaviour of his brethren, or for the calamity that had befallen them, for he often
wished that he had been with them, to bear his testimony
in so good a cause, and to have a share with them in their
honourable sufferings, but he was troubled to think on that
impending storm which he foresaw might fall on the church:
however, both he and the dean (Dr. Hickes) resolved not
to disperse the declaration, and signified to all the clergy
his utter dislike of it. Soon after he received a letter from
court, containing a reprimand for not obeying the king’s
orders; the answer to which was, as he himself says, without
any tincture of collusion, but declaratory of his firm resolution not to comply. Upon king William’s accession,
his ill health would not allow him to attend the convention; and indeed he never approved of the prince of
Orange’s being declared king, and much less of that act
which obliged all persons to take oaths of allegiance to
king William and queen Mary, or to forfeit their offices,
their livings, and their temporal subsistence. For his own
part, he was resolved to forsake all, rather than act con*
trary to his former oaths, and homage, which he had paid
to king James; and although he writes to Kettlewell, and
says, “If my heart do not deceive me, and God’s grace
do not fail me, I think I could suffer at a stake rather
than take this oath,
” yet it does not appear that he used
any persuasions to prevent others from taking it, only
freely gave his opinion, and advised them sincerely to consult their own consciences. This was what he said to the
clergy; and when a grandson of his, Dr. William Thomas, of whom we shall speak hereafter, then a student in
Trinity college, Camhridge, consulted him on this critical
point, he left him to his own liberty, and the feelings of
his own conscience. In one of his sermons he says, “An
humble man submits, suspects his own judgment, hath a
venerable esteem for his superiors; if startled by any constitutions in church and state, he frequently prays, seriously
discourses, modestly counsels with others; if after all expedients he remains dissatisfied, if he cannot swim with the
stream, he will not trouble the waters.
”
, born in 1670, was grandson to the bishop, and only son of John Thomas and Mary Bagnail,
, born in 1670, was grandson to the bishop, and only son of John Thomas and Mary Bagnail, daughter 'to Mr. Bagnall, mentioned in the preceding article. William inherited but little from his grandfather. He was educated at Westminster-school, from whence he was elected to Trinity-college, Cambridge, June 25, 1688, being then seventeen years old, as appears by the accounts of admissions in that college. Here he took his master’s degree, and soon after went into orders: he had the living ef Exal in Warwickshire, given him by the interest of lord Somers, to whom he was distantly related: at Atherston in the same county, he had a considerable estate, as he had likewise at the Grange near Toddington in Gloucestershire; the former came to him by his wife, the latter by his uncle William Thomas.
, an English divine, and voluminous translator, was the grandson of the rev. John Trapp, vicar of Weston-upon-Avon, and schoolmaster
, an English divine, and voluminous translator, was the grandson of the rev. John Trapp, vicar of Weston-upon-Avon, and schoolmaster at Stratford in Warwickshire, who wrote large commentaries upon almost all the books of the Old and New Testament, published in several quarto volumes, 1646, &c. and other tracts on subjects of divinity. He never had, nor wished to have, any preferment besides his vicarage, which lay at the convenient distance of two miles from his school. His character, as a man and as a preacher, would have recommended him to higher promotion; but he always refused to accept it, as his condition was equal to his wishes. He died Oct. 17, 1669, aged sixty-eight.
ffice of recorder. This learned and upright lawyer died in March 1701-2, aged fifty-six. His son and grandson, of the same names, represented Plympton and Dartmouth, and
, a learned judge, was born, as Wood
thinks, at or near Plympton in Devonshire in 1644, and was
admitted a commoner of Exeter college, Oxford, in 1660.
After studying some time here, he left college without
taking a degree, as, we have repeatedly had occasion te
observe, was usual with young gentlemen intended for the
law; and went to the Inner Temple. After being admitted
to the bar, he had much practice, and was accounted a
good common lawyer. In 1678 and 1679, he sat in parliament as representative for Plympton, and in the lastmentioned year was appointed chairman of the committee
of secrecy for the investigation of the popish plot, and was
in 1680 one of the managers in the impeachment of lord
Stafford. In December of the same year, when sir George
Jeffries was dismissed from the recordership of London, Mr.
Treby was elected in his room, and in January 1681 the
king conferred on him the honour of knighthood: but when
the quo warranto issued, and the city charter, for which he
pleaded along with Pollexfen, was withheld, he was deprived of the recordership in Oct. 1685. On the revolution, king William restored him to this office, and he had
the honour of addressing his majesty, in the absence of the
lord mayor, sir John Chapman, who was confined by sickness. His very able speech on this occasion was published
in the “Fourth collection of papers relating to the present
juncture of affairs in England,
” History of the Desertion,
”
, an eminent naturalist, and liberal patpon of that science, was the son and grandson of two men of considerable note in the medical profession, and
, an eminent naturalist,
and liberal patpon of that science, was the son and
grandson of two men of considerable note in the medical profession, and was born at Lauffen in Franconia in 1695.
He studied medicine at Nuremberg with so much reputation, that hre was appointed director of the academy of the
“Naturae Curiosorum,
” and, in conjunction with some of
the members of the society, began a periodical work at
Nuremberg in 1731, called “Commercium Litterarium ad
rei Medicae et Scientisc naturalis incrementum institutum.
”
In this he inserted many useful papers, as far as the
fifteenth volume, which appeared in 1745, and published
from time to time some splendid botanical works. He
died in 1769.
, a celebrated physician, was apparently the grandson of Lewis Troncbin, and was born at Geneva in 1709. His father,
, a celebrated physician, was
apparently the grandson of Lewis Troncbin, and was born
at Geneva in 1709. His father, John Robert Tronchin,
having lost his property in the fatal Mississippi speculation,
Theodore left home at the age of eighteen, and came to
England to lord Bolingbroke, to whom he is said to have
been related, we know not in what degree; but Bolingbroke
had it not in his power to do much for him, and he went to
Holland to study chemistry under Boerhaave, whose work
on that subject had engaged his attention, and made him
desiror.s of seeing the author. Boerhaave is said to have
soon distinguished Tronchin from the general mass of his
pupils, and in 1731 advised him to settle at Amsterdam,
where he introduced him to practice, and in a, short time
Tronchin was at the head of the physicians of Amsterdam.
But having married a young lady of the family of the celebrated patriot De Witt, he fancied that the name would be
disgraced by his accepting a place at court, and therefore
he refused that of first physician to the stadtholder, and
quitting Amsterdam when the stadtholderate was made
hereditary, returned to Geneva, where he could live in a
pure republic. Here the council gave him the title of honorary professor of medicine, but no duties were attached
to it. It was not his intention, however, to be idle, and he
gave lectures on the general principles of medicine, in
which he endeavoured to free the science from rooted prejudices and false theories. In 1756 he was called to Paris
to inoculate the children of the duke of Orleans. He bad
introduced this practice both in Holland and at Geneva,
and, in the former at least, without almost any opposition;
and the success he had in his Hrst trial in France, on these
princes of the blood, having contributed not a little to his
celebrity, he rose to the highest honours of his profession,
and acquired great wealth. In 1765 he was invited to
Parma to inoculate the royal children of that court. Although averse to accept any situations which might form a
restraint upon his time or studies, he consented to the title
of first physician to the duke of Orleans, and in 1766 fixed
his residence at Paris. The arrival of an eminent physician
in Paris is always accompanied by a revolution in practice.
Tronchin brought with him a new regimen, new medicines,
and new methods of cure, and many of them certainly of
great importance, particularly the admission and change of
air in sick rooms, and a more hardy method of bringing up
children; he also recommend-ed to the ladies more exercise
and less effeminacy in thair modes of living and in diet.
His prescriptions were generally simple; but perhaps his
fame was chiefly owing to his introducing the practice of
inoculation, which he pursued upon the most rational plan.
In all this he had to encounter long established prejudices,
and being a stranger, had to contend with the illiberality of
some of the faculty, obstacles which he removed by a
steady, humane course, and his frequent success completed his triumph. He was in person a fine figure; there
was a mixture of sweetness and dignity in his countenance;
his air and external demeanour inspired affection, and commanded respect; his dress, voice, and manner, were graceful and pleasing: all which no doubt gave an additional
luslre to his reputation, and perhaps an efficacy to his prescriptions. His extensive practice prevented his writing
or publishing more than a few papers on some medical
cases, one “De colica pictorum,
” Oeuvres de
Baillou,
”
in August 1638. He was the eldest son of William Trumbull, esq. a justice of peace in Berkshire, and grandson of another William Trumbull, who was agent and envoy from James
, an estimable and upright statesman, was born at Easthampsted in Berkshire in August 1638. He was the eldest son of William Trumbull, esq. a justice of peace in Berkshire, and grandson of another William Trumbull, who was agent and envoy from James I. to the archduke Albert at Brussels, from 1609 to the end of 1625. This great man, for such he appears to have been, made a large collection of letters, memoirs, minutes, and negociations, of all the men of note in iiis time, with whom he entertained a constant and familiar correspondence. These documents, which are, or were lately, in the gallery at Easthampsted park, sufficiently show his care, industry, vigilance, and sufficiency, in the employment he served; and he appears to have been the family pattern and model which sir William Trumbull, the subject of our memoir, had in his eye, and spurred him on to an imitation of those virtues which, if they appeared so bright in the grandfather, shone forth in much greater lustre and perfection in the grandson.
, son to the preceding Dr. Peter, and grandson to Dr. William Turner, was born in 1585, and was admitted a
, son to the preceding Dr. Peter, and
grandson to Dr. William Turner, was born in 1585, and
was admitted a probationer fellow of Merton college, Oxford, in 1607, where he proceeded in arts, and not being
restricted to any particular faculty, as the fellows of other
colleges are, became, according to Wood, versed in all
kinds of literature. His first preferment was the professorship of geometry in Gresham college, in July 1620, but
he continued to reside mostly at Oxford, and held this
place together with his fellowship. In 1629, by the direction of Laud, then bishop of London, he drew up a
scheme for the annual election of proctors out of the several colleges at Oxford in a certain order, that was to
return every twenty-three years, which being approved of
by his majesty, Charles I. was called the Caroline cycle,
and is still followed, and always printed at the end of the
“Parecbolae sive Excerpta, e corpore statutorum universitatis Oxon.
” In the same year he acted as one of the
commissioners for revising the statutes, and reducing them to
a better form and order. In 1630, on the death of Briggs,
Mr. Turner was chosen to succeed him as professor of geometry at Oxford, and resigned his Gresham professorship.
How well he was qualified for his new office appears by the
character archbishop Usher gives of him, “Savilianus in
academia Oxoniensi inatheseos professor eruditissimus.
”
In custos archivorum,
” or keeper of the archives, to which he
was appointed, and made large collections respecting the
antiquities of the university, which were afterwards of great
use to Anthony Wood. In 1636, on a royal visit to Oxford, Mr. Turner was created M. D. but having adhered
to his majesty in his troubles, and even taken up arms in
his cause, he was ejected from his fellowship of Merton,
and his professorship. This greatly impoverished him, and
he went to reside with a sister, the widow of a Mr. Watts,
a brewer in Southwark, where he died in Jan. 1651, and
was interred in St. Saviour’s church. He was a man of
extensive learning, and wrote much, but being fastidious
in his opinion of his own works, he never could complete
them to his mind. We have mentioned the only writings
he published, except a Latin poem in the collection in honour of sir Thomas Bodley, called the “Bodleiomnema,
”
Oxf. Epistolae variae ad doctissimos viros;
” but we know of no printed letters of his
Dr. Ward, however, gives extracts from three ms letters
in English to Selden, chiefly relating to some Greek writers
on the music of the ancients.
, one of a family of Oxford antiquaries, was the grandson of sir Brian Twyne, of Long Parish, in Hampshire, knight, and
, one of a family of Oxford antiquaries,
was the grandson of sir Brian Twyne, of Long Parish, in
Hampshire, knight, and was born at Bolingdon, in the
same county. He was educated at New Inn hall, Oxford,
and admitted to the reading of the institutions in 1524, at
a time when that society could boast of many excellent civilians. After he left the university he was appointed head
master of the free-school at Canterbury, and in 1553 rose
to be mayor of the city, in the time of Wyat’s rebellion.
By the school he became so rich as to be able to purchase
lands at Preston and Hardacre, in Kent, which he left to
his posterity. He was a good Greek and Latin scholar, and
devoted much of his time to the study of history and antiquities. He was held in great esteem by men able to judge
of his talents, particularly by Leland, who introduces him
among the worthies of his time in his “Encomia,
” and by
Camden, who speaks of him in his “Britannia
” as a
learned old man. Holinshed also mentions him as a learned
antiquary, in the first edition of hia “Chronicle;
” but this
notice is for some reason omitted in the edition of 1587.
It is said he was a violent papist, but Tanner has produced
evidence of a charge more disgraceful to his character as
a tutor and magistrate. This appears in a ms. in Bene't
college library, Cambridge, No. CXX. “Anno 1560, Mr.
Twyne, school- master, was ordered to abstain from riot
and drunkenness, and not to intermeddle with any public
office in the town.
” He died in an advanced age, Nov.
24, 1581, and was buried in the chancel of the church of
St. Paul, Canterbury, with an inscription, in which he is
styled armiger. His only publication, which, however,
did not appear until after his death, was his work “De
rebus Albionicis, Britannicis atque Anglicis commentariorum libri duo,
” Lond. History of king Boccus
and Sydracke,
”
, son of Thomas, and grandson of John Twyne, was born in 1579, and admitted a scholar of Corpus
, son of Thomas, and grandson of John Twyne, was born in 1579, and admitted a scholar of Corpus Christi college in December 1594. After he had taken the degrees in arts, he was admitted probationer fellow in 1605, and entering into holy orders took the degree of bachelor of divinity in 1610. In 1614 he was made Greek reader of his college, in which office he acquitted himself with credit, but about 1623 left college to avoid being involved in some dispute between the president and fellows; because in this affair, Wood informs us, he could not vote on either side without the hazard of expulsion, having entered college on a Surrey scholarship, which, it seems, was irregular. He was afterwards presented to the vicarage of Rye in Sussex by the earl of Dorset, but seldom resided, passing most of his time in Oxford, where he had lodgings in Penverthing or Pennyfarthing street, in the parish of St. Aldate. He lived here in a kind of retirement, being, as Wood says, of a melancholy temper, and wholly given to reading, writing, and contemplation. Laud had a great regard for him, and employed him in drawing up the university statutes, all of which he transcribed with his own hand, and was rewarded with the place of custos archivorum, founded in 1634. He died at his lodging^ in St. Aldate’s, July 4, 1644, aged sixty-five, and was buried in Corpus chapel.
r of the Prince and the Obedience of the Subject,” which, as we have mentioned in our account of his grandson, James Tyrrell, was published after the restoration. Archbishop
In the beginning of 1640 he came into England with
his family, intending (as before) to return in a year or two
at farthest. Soon after his arrival he went to Oxford for
the more convenience of pursuing his studies: but these
were unhappily interrupted by the urgent necessity of the
times, which put him upon writing some pieces that were
published at Oxford in 1641, on the subject of episcopacy:
These were, 1. “The Judgment of Dr. Reynolds concerning the original of Episcopacy defended.
” 2. “The Original of Bishops, or a chorographical and-historical disquisition touching the Lydian and proconsular Asia, and the
seven metropolitan churches contained therein.
” The design of this treatise is to prove, from Acts xix. 17, supported
by Rev. ii. 1. and confirmed by ecclesiastical history, that
bishops and metropolitans were instituted by the apostles;
meaning only with regard to their superiority in degree;
for he did not hold episcopacy to be a superior order to
presbytery. He also endeavours to prove that the bishop
of Ephesus was not only the metropolitan of the proconsular Asia, but the primate, or exarch, of all the provinces
that were comprehended within the compass of the whole
Asian diocese; and that he acted suitably to the patriarchal
jurisdiction, which was in effect conferred upon him, In
the prosecution of the argument he shews, 1. That the stars
described in the Revelations are the angels of the seven
churches. 2. That these angels were the several bishops
of those churches, and not the whole college of presbyters.
3. That each of these seven churches was at that time a
metropolis. 4. That these bishops were ordained by the
apostles as constant permanent officers in the church, and so
in a sortjwe (Tivino, not to be dispensed with except in cases of necessity. These tracts were printed, with others on the same subject, under the title “Certain brief Treatises,
” &c. Oxf. The Power of the Prince and the Obedience of the Subject,
” which, as we have mentioned in our account of his grandson, James Tyrrell, was published after the restoration. Archbishop Usher was a man of too much note, and of
too high a station, not to. be < deeply involved in and affected with the succeeding troubles. He is charged by
some writers with having advised the king to consent to
the bill against the earl of Stratford, but is cleared by
others; and Dr. Parr tells us, that when the primate lay
extremely ill, and expected death at St. Donate’s castle in
164-5, he asked his grace concerning it, who flatly denied
it, and said it was wrongfully laid to his charge; for, that
he neither advised nor approved it. In the rebellion in
Ireland he was plundered of everything except his library
and some furniture in his house at Drogheda, whence the
library was conveyed to England. On this the king conferred on him the bishopric of Carlisle, to be holden in
commendam; the revenues of which, however, were reduced to almost nothing by the Scots and English armies
quartering upon it. When all the lands belonging to the
English bishoprics were seized by the parliament, they
voted him a pension of 400l. per annum; which yet he
never received above once or twice. It is said that he was
invited into France by cardinal Richelieu, with a promise
of the free exercise of his religion, and a considerable
pension; and likewise by the States of Holland, who offered him the place of honorary professor at Leyden. Dr.
Smith, one of his biographers, seems to doubt these facts,
especially the first. But Dr. Parr thinks it not unlikely,
from an instance of respect which Richelieu had before
shewn to the archbishop, by sending him, in return for a
copy of the “Antiquity of the British Churches,
” which the
author had presented to his eminence, a letter of much
kindness and esteem, accompanied with a gold medal,
which Dr. Bernard says “is still preserved.
” It was in
possession of the Tyrrell family in 1738, and was then exhibited to the society of antiquaries. The date is 1631.
In 1642 the archbishop removed to Oxford, not lon
before the king came thither, and preached every Sunday
at some of the churches, principally All Saints. In 1643
he was nominated one of the assembly of divines at Westminster, but refused to sit among them: and this, together
with some of his sermons at Oxford, in which he had spoke
against their authority, giving offence to the parliament,
they ordered his library to be seized, and it would have
been sold, had not Dr. Featly, who sat among those divines while his heart was with the church and king, obtained it by means of Mr. Selden for his own use, and
so secured it to the right owner, or at least the greater
part, but some valuable articles were stolen, and never
recovered. In 1644 he published at Oxford his valuable
edition of “Polycarpi et Ignatii Epistolae.
”
nce of the subject stated;” with a preface by Dr. Robert Sanderson, published by James Tyrrell, esq. grandson to our author, at London, 1661. 5. A volume of “Sermons,” preached
Archbishop Usher was tall, well-shaped, and walked upright to the last. His hair was b'rown, his complexion sanguine, his countenance full of good-nature as well as gravity: yet, Dr. Parr says, the air of his face was hard to hit,
and that, though many pictures were taken of him, he
never saw but one like him, which was done by sir Peter
Lely. He was a man who abounded in all graces, moral
as well as spiritual; which, joined with the greatest abilities and learning, made him upon the whole a very complete character. Among his Mss. were many notes and
observations upon the writings and characters of the fathers
and ecclesiastical authors, which he designed as the foundation of a large and elaborate work, to be called “The.ologica Bibliotheca;
” and this was indeed, of all his works,
that which, he had most set his heart upon: yet the calamities of the times would not suffer him to finish it. He
left these papers, however, to Dr. Gerard Langbaine, proTost of Queen’s college, as the only man on whose learning as well as friendship he could rely, to render them fit
for the press: but Langbaine, while pursuing his task in
the public library, got so severe a cold, that he died in
1657; and nothing farther appears to have been done,
though Dr. Fell afterwards made some attempts to get it
finished. A copy of it is lodged ip the Bodleian library.
The works from his Mss. published after his death,
were: 1. “Chronologia sacra seu Annorum & wadoncltcts
Patriarcharum, isapoMiois Israelitarum in Ægypto Annorum
etiamJudicum,RegumJudae Israelis, ^o3fi|<jChronologica,
”
Oxford, 166Q, in 4to, published by Dr. Thomas Barlow,.
afterwards bishop of Lincoln. Reprinted with the Annals
of the Old and New Testament at Geneva, in 1722, folio.
This chronology is imperfect, the author dying while he
was engaged in it. He proposed to have subjoined to it a
tract “De primitive & veterurn Hebraeorum Kalendario.
”
2. A collection of piece’s published by Dr. Nicholas Bernard at London, in 1658, 8vo, under the title of “The
Judgment of the late Archbishop,
” &c. 3. Dr. Bernard
published likewise at London in 1659 our author’s “Judgment and sense of the present See of Rome from Apocal.
xviii. 4.
” 4. “The power of the prince and obedience of
the subject stated;
” with a preface by Dr. Robert Sanderson, published by James Tyrrell, esq. grandson to our author, at London, 1661. 5. A volume of “Sermons,
”
preached at Oxford before his majesty, and elsewhere. 6.
“Historia Dogmatica Controversise inter Orthodoxos &
Pontificios de Scripturis & sacris Vernaculis. Accessere
ejusdem Dissertationes duoe de Pseudo-Dionysii scriptis &
de Epistola ad Laodicenos. Descripsit, digessit, & Notis
atque Auctario locupletavit Henricus Wharton,
” London,
16yO, 4to. 7. “A Collection of three hundred Letters written to James Usher lord archbishop of Armagh, and most
of the eminentest persons for piety and learning in his time
both in England and beyond the seas. Collected and
published from original copies under their own hands by
Richard Parr, D. D. his lordship’s chaplain at the time of
his death, uith whom the care of all his papers were intrusted by his lordship,
” London,
his wife, Maria Ruthven, lord Cowry’s daughter, he left one daughter, married to Mr. Stepney, whose grandson, Walpole says, was George Stepney the poet. Lady Vandyck, the
By his wife, Maria Ruthven, lord Cowry’s daughter, he left one daughter, married to Mr. Stepney, whose grandson, Walpole says, was George Stepney the poet. Lady Vandyck, the widow, was married again to Richard Pryse, son of sir John Pryse, of Newton-Averbecham, in Montgomeryshire, knt. by whom she had no issue. Vandyck. died rich, and was generous in his legacies, but, owing to the confusions of the times, some were with difficulty recovered, and some lost.
, principally known as an antiquary, was the grandson of Richard Roland Verstegan, of an ancient family in the duchy
, principally known as an antiquary, was the grandson of Richard Roland Verstegan,
of an ancient family in the duchy of Guelderland, who being
driven out of his own country by the confusions of war,
came to England in the time of Henry VII. Here he
married, and dying soon after, left an infant son, who was
afterwards put apprentice to a cooper, and was father to
the subject of this article. Richard was born in St. Catherine’s parish, near the Tower of London, and after receiving the rudiments of education, was sent to Oxford, where
he was generally called Roland. It does not appear what
college he belonged to, cr whether he is to be considered
as a regular member of any, but he seems to have
distinguished himself in Saxon literature, then very little studied.
He was, however, a zealous Roman catholic, and finding
no encouragement in his studies without taking oaths adverse to his principles, he quitted the university, and settled
at Antwerp, and practised drawing and painting. About
1592 he published a work, now very rare, entitled “Theatrum crudelitatum Hsereticorum nostri temporis,
” a thin
quarto, with curious cuts representing the deaths of the
Jesuits, and other missionaries who were hanged or otherwise put to death for their machinations against the church
and state. This effort of zeal does not appear to have been
in all respects agreeable to some of his own party; and
either his fears on this account, or some other causes, induced him to leave Antwerp for Paris. There being complained of by the English ambassador as a calumniator of
his royal mistress, he was thrown into prison by the French
king’s orders. How long he was confined is not known,
but when released he returned to Antwerp, and resumed his
studies, which produced his “Restitution of decayed Antiquities,
” The successive regal
Governments of England,
” Antwerp, A Dialogue on Dying well,
” a translation
from the Italian; and a collection of very indifferent poetry,
entitled “Odes; in imitation of the seven penitential
Psalmes. With sundry other poems and ditties, tending to
devotion and pietie,
” imprinted
, grandson of the preceding historian, was born in 1606, at Blois. He was
, grandson of the preceding historian, was born in 1606, at Blois. He was bred a protestant,
and became bailiff“of Baugency; but having afterwards abjured the Protestant religion, he entered the congregation
of the Oratory, in which he distinguished himself by his
learning. He understood Greek, Hebrew, and Chaldee,
cultivated the belles lettres with success, and had a talent
for Latin poetry, as appears from his paraphrases of some
Psalms. He died November 14, 1661, at Paris, aged fiftysix. He left several works: among the principal are,
” La
Genealogie des Seigneurs d'Alsace,“1649, fol.; a very
useful supplement to St. Augustine’s works, of which he
found some Mss. at Clairvaux that had never been published.
” A Harmony of the Gospels,“in French;
” Stemma Austriacum,“1650, fol.; and
” La Genéalogie des
Comtes de Champagne.“He meant to have published a
treatise, written by St. Fulgentius against Faustus, but was
prevented by death, nor is it known what became of this
treatise. Vignier found an ancient ms. at Metz, containing a relation of events in that city, and in which there was
a long account of the famous Joan d‘Arc, better known by
the name of the Maid of Orleans. According to this it appear,ed that she had been married to the Sire des Amboises,
or D’Hermoises, descended from an illustrious house, and
of the ancient knighthood. He also found in the treasury
of Messrs, des Amboises, the contract of the above marriage, which imports
” that in 1436, Robert des Amboises
married Joan d'Arc, called the Maid of Orleans." But
this fact is very generally doubted.
155. It is his translation in verse of the famous “Brut of England,” so called from Brutus the great grandson of Æneas, and first king of the Britons. It contains the history
That work of Wace’s which his learned biographer places
first, was composed in 1155. It is his translation in verse
of the famous “Brut of England,
” so called from Brutus
the great grandson of Æneas, and first king of the Britons.
It contains the history of the kings of Great Britain, almost
from the destruction of Troy to the year 689 of the common sera. Walter, archdeacon of Oxford, had imported
the original from Armoric Britain, Geoffroy of Monmouth
translated it into Latin, and Wace into French verse. Several copies of this work are in the British Museum, one at
Bene't college, Cambridge, and one, at least, a very superb
one, in the royal library at Paris, supposed to be coeval with
the author. The verses of this poem are always masculine
of eight syllables, and feminine of nine; by which circumstance the error of attributing this work, as Fauchet has
done, to a Huistace, or Wistace, is detected; for, by
substituting Wace, as is found in the ancient ms. the
verses acquire their necessary measure. Warton has fallen
into this mistake by depending upon Fauchet; and the same
error is repeated by several French writers. The learned
Tyrwhitt was the first person who attempted to clear up a
subject which from time to time became more involved in
darkness, and to vindicate our author from the errors or
injustice of modern writers. By means of sound criticism,
the authority of the manuscripts in the British Museum,
and the testimony of Layamon and Robert de Brunne, he
proved, beyond the possibility of a doubt, that Wace was
the author of the translation of the “Brut
” into French
verse. Lastly, Dr. Burney, in, his < c History of Music," by
means of the rules of French poetry alone, demonstrated the
want of fidelity in the manuscripts which had misled Fauchet and all other writers, who, as he had done, drew their
materials from faulty and imperfect copies.
* - Theo. grandson 44 *Truberus, Primus. . . . 46
* - Theo. grandson 44 *Truberus, Primus. . . . 46
ies. In 1700 king William granted Dr. Wallis an annuity of 100l. per annum, with survivorship to his grandson, Mr. William Blencoe, on condition of his teaching the latter
During his latter years he was much employed as a decypherer for government, but the very great services he performed by means of this uncommon faculty, were very ill rewarded. Indeed, he seldom received more than the pay of a copyist, when he certainly might have secured his own terms, and made his fortune at once. But it is among the best parts of his character that, in all situations, he was unambitious and independent. Courtiers’ promises, as he shrewdly observes, are like certain medicines, if they do not operate quickly, it is not ifkely they will at all. The elector of Brandenburgh sent him a gold chain and medal of great value, which the editor of his sermons, published 1791, disposed of some years ago, as old gold, but not without first offering it for sale to the Oxford and British museums, and to several antiquaries. In 1700 king William granted Dr. Wallis an annuity of 100l. per annum, with survivorship to his grandson, Mr. William Blencoe, on condition of his teaching the latter his art of decyphering.
, earl of Orford, grandson of sir Edward Walpole, K. B. and third son of Robert Waipole,
, earl of Orford, grandson of sir Edward Walpole, K. B. and third son of Robert Waipole, M. P. for Castle-Rising, in Norfolk, was born at Houghton, in Norfolk, Aug. 26, 1676. He received the first rudiments of learning at a private seminary at Massingham, in Norfolk, and completed his education on the foundation at Eton, Walpole was naturally indolent, and disliked application, but the emulation of a public seminary, the alternate menaces and praises of his master, Mr. Newborough, the maxim repeatedly inculcated by his father, that he was a younger brother, and that his future fortune in life depended solely upon his own exertions, overcame the original inertness of his disposition. Before he quitted Eton, he had so considerably improved himself in classical literature, as to bear the character of an excellent scholar. In April 1696 he was admitted a scholar of King’s college, Cambridge. On the death of his elder surviving brother in 1698, becoming heir to the paternal estate, he resigned his scholarship. Singular as it may appear, he had been designed for the church; but on his destination being altered by the death of his brother, he no longer continued to prosecute his studies with a view to a liberal profession. His father, indeed, appears to have been in a great measure the cause of this dereliction of his studies, for he took him from the university to his seat at Houghton, where his mornings being engaged in farming, or in the sports of the field, and his evenings in convivial society, he had no leisure, and soon lost the inclination, for literary pursuits. In July 1700, he married Catherine, daughter of sir John Shorter, lord mayor of London, and his father dying, he inherited the family estate of somewhat more than 2000l. a year.
, is likely to be reduced lower than ever?” He therefore ordered the patent to be concealed, and his grandson was the first who assumed its privileges.
After this, a general acquaintance with the laws of his
country seems to have been his leading acquirement, and
hence, when he became a representative in parliament, he
was nominated one of the eight chief managers in the impeachment of the duke of Buckingham. The account of
Mr. Wandesforde’s share in that transaction, as given by
llushworth, is much to the credit of his moderation and
prudence. In the new parliament, which met March 17,
1628, he made a conspicuous figure, and acted a truly
constitutional part, supporting the privileges of the people
when attacked, and when these were secured by a confirmation of the petition of right, adhering to his sovereign.
About 1633, it was proposed by Charles I. to send Mr.
Wandesforde ambassador to Spain; but this honour was
declined, from his not wishing to engage in any public
employment. Soon after, however, when his friend lord
Wentworth was fixed on to go as lord-deputy.to Ireland,
Mr. Wandesforde was persuaded to accompany him as
master of the rolls, from motives of personal regard. He
arrived at Dublin in July 1633, where he built a new office of the rolls at his own cost. In 1636 he was made one
of the lords justices of Ireland, in the absence of lord
Wentworth, and knighted. Retiring to his seat at Kil r
dare, he completed his book of “Instructions to his Son,
”
which bears date Get, 5, 1636. He soon after sold Kildare
to lord Wentwortb, and purchase^ the estate of Castlecomer, where he established a manufactory for cottons, and
founded a colliery. In 164-0 he was appointed lord-deputy
in the place of lord Strafford, and gave such satisfaction to
the king by his* conduct in that high station, that he was
created baron Mowbray and Musters, and viscount Castle^
comer. On the receipt of the patent, however, he exclaimed, “Is it a fit time for a faithful subject to appear
higher than usual, when his king, the fountain of honours,
is likely to be reduced lower than ever?
” He therefore
ordered the patent to be concealed, and his grandson was
the first who assumed its privileges.
rivately transcribed, and from which the work was printed under the care of the author’s great-great- grandson, Thomas Comber, LL. D. in 1777, 12mo, with a second volume in
His lordship was reported by his daughter to have read
over the whole Bible yearly, and to have made “great remarks upon it.
” These remarks, with other “Collections
in Divinity,
” are said to be lost, and so it was for some
time surmised, were his valuable “Instructions to his Son,
”
an excellent manual of piety and wisdom, till a duplicate
copy was discovered which had been privately transcribed,
and from which the work was printed under the care of the
author’s great-great-grandson, Thomas Comber, LL. D.
in 1777, 12mo, with a second volume in 1778, containing
memoirs of the life and death of lord-deputy Wandesforde.
, ar learned and laborious divine, grandson to bishop Sparrow, was born in December 1689,. and having been
, ar learned and laborious divine,
grandson to bishop Sparrow, was born in December 1689,.
and having been admitted a student of Caius-college,
Cambridge, there took his degrees of B. A. 1711, M. A. 1716,
and D. D. 1752. In 1715 he was made curate of St. Dunstan in the West, London; and in 1725, edited the “Life
of General Monk,
” from the original manuscript of Dr.
Skinner. This volume he Dedicated to the countess Granville, and to John lord Gower, who were descended from
the family of Monk. His next production was, “The
Clergy’s Right of Maintenance vindicated,
” 8vo, which is
also inscribed to lord Gower, who was afterwards his patron.
, an eminent protestant divine, was the grandson of John James Werenfels, a clergyman at Basil, who died November
, an eminent protestant divine,
was the grandson of John James Werenfels, a clergyman
at Basil, who died November 17, 1655, leaving ' Sermons“in German, and
” Homilies on Ecclesiastes“in Latin. He
was the son of Peter Werenfels, likewise an eminent protestant divine, born 1627, at Leichtal; wtio, after having
been pastor of different churches, was appointed archdeacon of Basil in 1654, where he gave striking proofs of his
piety and zeal during the pestilence which desolated the
city of Basil in 1667 and 1668. His sermons, preached at
that time from Psalm xci. have been printed. He was appointed professor of divinity in 1675, and died May 23,
1703, aged seventy-six, leaving a great number of valuable
”Dissertations,“some
” Sermons,“and other works. His
son, the immediate subject of the present article, was born
March I, 1657, at Basil. He obtained a professorship of
logic in 1684, and of Greek in the year following, and
soon after set out on a literary journey through Holland and
Germany, and then into France, with Burnet, afterwards
bishop of Salisbury, and Frederick Battier. At his return
to Basil he was appointed professor of rhetoric, and filled
the different divinity chairs successively. He died in that
city, June 1, 1740. His works have all been collected and
printed in 2 vols. 4to; the most complete edition of them
is that of Geneva and of Lausanne, 1739. They treat of
philology, philosophy, and divinity, and are universally
esteemed, particularly the tract
” De Logomachiis Eruditorum.“In the same collection are several poems, which
show the author to have been a good poet as well as an
able philosopher and learned divine. We have also a vol.
8vo, of his
” Sermons," which are much admired.
ned above as one of the tutors to John James Wetstein, was born September 1, 1647, at Basil, and was grandson of John Rodolphus Wetstein, burgomaster of that city, a man
, mentioned above as one of
the tutors to John James Wetstein, was born September
1, 1647, at Basil, and was grandson of John Rodolphus
Wetstein, burgomaster of that city, a man of great merit,
who rendered important services to his country at the peace
of Munster, in the Imperial court, and in his native place.
John Rodolphus, the subject of this article, succeeded his
father as professor of Greek, and afterwards of divinity,
and died at Basil April 21, 1711, leaving two sons, one
of whom, Rodolphus, was professor of divinity at Basil,
and the other, John Henry, a bookseller at Amsterdam.
He had published, in 1673, with notes, Origen’s “Dialogue against the Marcionites,
” with the “Exhortation to
Martyrdom,
” and the letter to Africanus concerning the
“History of-Susanna,
” which he first took from the Greek
Mss. We have several other valuable discourses or dissertations of his. Henry Wetstein, one of his brothers,
also well acquainted with Greek and Latin, settled in Holland, where he followed the business of a bookseller, became a celebrated printer, and died April 4, 1726. His
descendants long remained in Holland.
With an Appendix of Original Papers,” 2 vols. 4to, These papers Dr Morton received from Whitelocke’s grandson, Carieton Whitelocke, of Prior’s wood, near Dublin, esq. This
Whitelocke accordingly set out from London on this
embassy Nov. 2, 1653, and a very few weeks after his departure, Cromwell assumed the supreme authority under
the title of lord protector. Whitelocke was received in
Sweden with great respect, and supported his character
with dignity. Queen Christina, who shewed him many
civilities, entertained him not only with politics, but with
philosophy; and created him knight of the order of Araarantha, and hence he is sometimes styled sir Bulstrode.
He displayed great abilities for negotiation, and concluded
a firm alliance between England and Sweden about the
beginning of May 1654. In 1772, Dr. Morton, secretary
of the Royal Society, published the history of this embassy,
under the title of “'A Journal of the Swedish Ambassy, in
the years 1653 and 165 4-. From, the commonwealth of
England, Scotland, and Ireland. Written by the ambassador
the lord commissioner Whhelockv. With an Appendix of
Original Papers,
” 2 vols. 4to, These papers Dr Morton
received from Whitelocke’s grandson, Carieton Whitelocke, of Prior’s wood, near Dublin, esq. This very cunious work may be considered as a necessary addition to
his “Memorials,
” and contains a large assemblage of facts
and characteristic anecdotes illustrative of the times and
the principal personages, printed literally from the author’s
manuscript.
ily, and born at Great Bedwin, in Wiltshire, Jan. 27, 1621, in a house that was often visited by his grandson Browne Willis, and of which there is an engraving in the Gentleman’s
, an illustrious English physician, was of a reputable family, and born at Great Bedwin, in Wiltshire, Jan. 27, 1621, in a house that was often visited by his grandson Browne Willis, and of which there is an engraving in the Gentleman’s Magazine for 1798. He was instructed in grammar and classical literature by Mr. Ed-ward Sylvester, a noted schoolmaster in the parish of AllSaints, Oxford; and, in 1636, became a member of Christ church. He applied himself vigorously to his studies, and took the degrees in arts; that of bachelor in 1639, that of master in 1642. About this time, Oxford being turned into a garrison for the king, he with other scholars bore arms for his majesty, and devoted his leisure hours to the study of physic; in which faculty he took a bachelor’s degree in 1646, when Oxford was surrendered to the parliament. He pursued the business of his profession, and kept Abingdon market. He settled in an house over against Merton college, and appropriated a room in it for divine service, where Mr. John Fell, afterwards dean of Christ church, whose sister he had married, Mr. John Dolben, afterwards archbishop of York, and sometimes Mr. Richard Allestree, afterwards provost of Eton college, exercised the liturgy and sacraments according to the church of England, and allowed to others the privilege of resorting thither. This measure of theirs is commemorated by a painting in the hall of Christ church, Oxford.
, an eminent antiquary, was born Sept. 14, 1682, at Blandford in Dorset. He was grandson to the preceding Dr. Willis, and eldest son of Thomas Willis,
, an eminent antiquary, was born
Sept. 14, 1682, at Blandford in Dorset. He was grandson
to the preceding Dr. Willis, and eldest son of Thomas
Willis, esq. of Bletchley, in Bucks. His mother was daughter of Robert Browne, esq. of Frampton, in Dorsetshire.
He had the first part of his education under Mr. Abraham
Freestone at Bechampton, whence he was sent to Westminster-school, and during his frequent walks in the adjoining abbey imbibed that taste for architectural, particularly
Ecclesiastical, antiquities, which constituted the pleasure
and employment of his future life. At the age of seventeen he was admitted a gentleman commoner of Christ
church, Oxford, wilder the tuition of the famous geographer Edward Wells, D. D. and when he left Oxford, he
lived for three years with the famous Dr. Will. Wotton. In
1702, he proved a considerable benefactor to Fenny-Stratford, by reviving the market of that town. In 1705, he
was chosen for the town of Buckingham; and, during the
short time he was in parliament, was a constant attendant,
and generally upon committees. In 1707, he married Catharine, daughter of Daniel Elliot, esq. of a very ancient
family in Cornwall, with whom he had a fortune of 8000l.
and by whom he had a numerous issue. She died Oct. 2,
1724. This lady had some literary pretensions. She wrote
a book entitled “The established Church of England the
true catholick church, free from innovations, or diminishing the apostolic doctrines, the sacraments, and doctrines
whereof are herein set forth,
” Lond.
, in right of his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of John Sydenham, of Orchard, esq. His great grandson John married Catharine, daughter of Robert Hopton, esq. sister
, an eminent statesman,
chancellor of the exchequer in the reign of queen Anne,
was descended from a very ancient family, which derives
its descent from Ailwardus, an eminent Saxon, in the
county of Norfolk, soon after the Norman conquest, who
being possessed of lands in Wymondham, or Wyndham,
in that county, assumed his surname thence. Sir John
Wyndham, who was knighted at the coronation of king
Edward VI. had the estate of Orchard, in the county of
Somerset, in right of his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and
co-heir of John Sydenham, of Orchard, esq. His great
grandson John married Catharine, daughter of Robert
Hopton, esq. sister and co-heir to Ralph lord Hopton, by
whom he had issue sir William Wyndham, advanced to
the dignity of a baronet by king Charles II. whose eldest
son, Edward, married Catharine, daughter of sir William
Levison Gower, bart. and by that lady had one daughter,
Jane, wife of sir Richard Grosvenor, of Eton, in Cheshire,
bart. and an only son, the subject of this article, who was
born about 1687; and upon the decease of his father, while
he was very young, succeeded to the title and estate. He
was educated at first at Eton school, and thence removed
to Christ Church, Oxford, where his excellent genius soon
discovered itself, and afterwards received great advantage
from his travels into foreign countries. Upon his return to
England he was chosen knight of the shire for the county
of Somerset, in which station he served in the three last
parliaments of queen Anne, and all the subsequent ones
till his death. This public scene of action soon called forth
his eminent abilities, and placed him in so conspicuous a
point of light, that, after the change of the ministry under
that queen in the latter end of 1710, he was first appointed
master of her majesty’s hart and buck hounds, then secretary at war, and at last, about August 1713, was advanced to
the important post of chancellor of the exchequer. In this
station he had an opportunity of appearing in his judicial
capacity in a cause of Dr/Hooper, bishop of Bath and
Wells, in which he gave sentence, and at the same time
explained the grounds of it with a perspicuity, force of
reasoning, and extent of knowledge worthy the most experienced judge. In May the year following he brought
into the House of Commons, and carried successfully
through it, the “Bvll to prevent tae growth of schism, and
for the future security of the Church of England,
” &c.
and was appointed to carry it up to the House of Lords,
where also it passed. Upon the breach between the earl
of Oxford, lord high treasurer, and lord Bolidgbroke, secretary of state, in July 1714, sir William adhered to the
interests of the latter.
, a learned barrister and law-writer, was born in 1734. He was the grandson of Owen Wynne, esq. LL. D. sometime umler-secretary of state
, a learned barrister and law-writer, was born in 1734. He was the grandson of Owen Wynne, esq. LL. D. sometime umler-secretary of state to Charles II. and James II. and son of William Wynne, esq. by his wife, Grace, one of the daughters of William Brydges, esq. Serjeant at law. He followed his father’s profession, and was called to the bar; but, whatever his success, seems to have devoted a considerable portion of his time to study and to the composition of some works, which unite great elegance of style to great legal knowledge and acuteness. In his private character he was noted for many virtues, and extensive liberality and charity. He died at his house at Chelsea, of that dreadful disorder, a cancer in the mouth, Dec. 26, 1784, in the fiftieth year of his age.