quibus, pro verborum numero, ordo sententiæ transponi potest." Mr. Ainsworth having drawn up the elaborate account of Mr. Kemp's Antiquities, which has been mentioned in vol. V. p. 249, was furnished by his friend and neighbour Mr. Ward, not only with the descriptions and explanations of the statues and lares in the collection, but likewise with the discourse "de vasis et lucernis, de amuletis, de annulis et fibulis," and particularly the learned "Commentarius de asse et partibus ejus," which had been printed in 1719, 8vo. Mr. Ward became so eminent for his knowledge of polite literature, as well as antiquity, that on the 1st of September, 1720, he was chosen Professor of Rhetoric in Gresham College, and on the 28th of October following made his inaugural oration there, "de usu et dignitate artis dicendi." The same year Dr. Mead having published, at London, in 8vo, his discourse of the plague, Mr. Ward gave the publick, in 1723, a Latin translation of the eighth edition, the Doctor not approving the translation of the first edition by Mr. Maittaire, which was never printed. Nov. 30, 1723, Mr. Ward was elected F. R. S. and was often chosen afterwards into the council of that respectable body; and at last, in 1752, appointed one of their Vice-presidents; in which office he continued till his death. In 1724, he subjoined to an edition of Gerard John Vossius's "Elementa Rhetorica," printed at London, an excellent piece "de ratione interpungendi," containing a system of clear and easy rules with regard to pointing, superior to whatever had been before published on that subject. Dr. Conyers Middleton having, in 1726, published at Cambridge, in 4to, a Latin dissertation "de Medicorum apud veteres Romanos degentium conditione," Mr. Ward, in February 1726-7, published an answer to it in 8vo, under the title of "Ad viri Reverendi Con. Middletoni, S.T. P. de See what is said on this head in vol. I. p. 267, which this article of Dr. Ward will illustrate. Medicorum apud veteres Romanos degentium conditione Dissertationem, quâ servilem atque ignobilem eam fuisse contendit, Responsio." Dr. Middleton published a defence of his dissertation in 1727; to which Dr. Ward replied, in a piece, published at London in 1728, in 8vo, intituled, "Dissertationis V. R. Con. Middletoni, S. T. P. de Medicorum Romæ degentium conditione ignobili et servili Defensio examinata: ubi omnia, quæ contra Responsionis Auctorem disseruit, infirmata sunt et refutata *." In 1728 Mr. Ward assisted in preparing Thuanus for the press; and translated from Mr. Buckley's English the dedication to the King, and his three letters to Dr. Mead (see vol. II. p. 26), concerning the new edition; which translations were prefixed to it in 1733; in the month of August of which year, he took a journey through Holland and Flanders to Paris, whence he returned in October following. In 1732, he was employed by the booksellers, who were patentees for printing Lily's Grammar of the Latin Tongue, to give a correct edition of it, purged of the numerous errors which had crept into all the former. This he executed with great accuracy †, * "Dr. Middleton finished an answer to this last piece of Dr. Ward's; but, meeting Mead at Lord Oxford's, he was prevailed on to deliver up the MS. to Lord Oxford. After all the parties were dead, Dr. Heberden presumed there could be no harm in publishing a few copies of a mere piece of literature in 1761, to be given away only. -The Author of "Breves Nota" on Middleton's Dissertation, 1726, was Dr. P. Wigan, a Scotchman. Dr. Middleton answered it as his. See p. 23, of his last publication, where he calls him medicus noster. Middleton seldom wrote but out of pique. The present controversy arose on his part from a conversation at Cambridge, where having complimented the modern professors of physic at the expence of the antient, he found himself called upon by the company to maintain his opinion against Dr. Mead, who publicly asserted the contrary. See Middleton 2, 3." T. F. † The reverend and learned Author of “A Letter to his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, containing a Proposal for the Improvement of Latin Schools, London, 1748," 8vo, remarks, p. 20, that, "we are certainlyi n debt to the last editor of Lily's Grammar, Mr. Ward, Professoro f Gresham College, for nany valuable improvements of this Grammar. I am sorry," adds and added in the preface an accurate and curious history of that Grainmar. In that year he assisted Mr. George Thompson, Master of the Grammarschool at Tottenham High Cross, in his "Apparatus ad Linguam Græcam ordine novo ac facili digestus," Svo. In the same year, Mr. Horsley's "Britannia Romana" being published at London, in folio, there was printed in it an "Essay on Peutinger's Table so far as it relates to Britain," by Mr. Ward; who' had revised that elaborate work of Mr. Horsley in manuscript, and communicated to him many important remarks for its improvement. On the 5th of February, 1735-6, Mr. Ward was chosen a member of the Society of Antiquaries, of which he was elected director, on the 15th of January, 1746-7, on Dr. Birch's resignation of that office. And in April 1753 the Professor was appointed Vice-president of that Society, and continued so till his death. In 1736 Mr. Ainsworth was again indebted to him for literary assistance (see vol. V. p. 251); as were Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Patrick and Mr. Young in the succeeding edition of Ainsworth's Dictionary. In the same year (1736) he was chosen one of the first Committee of the Society for the Encouragement of Learning (see vol. II. p. 90), as he was of several subsequent ones during the subsistence of that Society; who printed, among other works at their expence, two which do honour to Professor Ward; the prefatory dedication to the new and beautiful edition of Maximus Tyrius being written by him, who had the care of the edition; and in the preface to the edition of Elian " De Animalibus," the editor, Abraham Gronovius, is full of acknowledgments to Mr. Ward for his assistance in that work, and has also testified his regard by inscribing to him, in a long dedication, his edition of Pomponius Mela, 12mo, Leyden, 1743. In December 1740 adds the author, "that this learned gentleman should think of patching up another's performance, and not rather give us one of his own." *" his "Lives of the Professors of Gresham College were published at London, in folio; a work which is a considerable addition to the history of learning in our country. In 1741 he translated into Latin the Life of Dr. Johnston prefixed to Auditor Benson's edition of that author's version of the Psalms. In the Gentleman's Magazine for 1740, pp. 30, 31, is preserved Mr. Ward's explanation of a Roman altar found at Castle Steeds in Cumberland; and in the Magazine for 1743, p. 528 & seq. occurs a specimen of the candid spirit of the writer, in his defence of his assertion, in his Lives of the Professors of Gresham College, that the works of the famous Dr. Sydenham were composed by him in English, and translated into Latin by Dr. Mapletoft and Mr. Havers. This piece of his is nowhere else to be met with. In 1751 Dr. Wishart, principal of the University of Edinburgh, published a new edition of "Florentius Volusenus, or Wilson, de animi tranquillitate," with a Latin letter to the editor from Mr. Ward, dated ipsis idibus Novemb. 1750. On the 20th of May, 1751, the Professor was honoured by the University of Edinburgh with the degree of LL. D. Upon the establishment of the British Museum, in 1753, Dr. Ward was, on the 11th of December, elected one of the trustees of it; in which office he was singularly useful, by his assiduous attendance, advice, and assistance in forming that establishment, and settling rules for rendering it of benefit to the publick. In July of the year following, he published an edition of "Institutio Græcæ Grammatices Compendiaria, in usum Scholæ Westmonasteriensis," compiled by Camden while master of Westminster school. In this edition Dr. Ward carefully corrected the errors of the former, and made several very considerable improvements in the Grammar itself. The last * A copy of this work also, with considerable additions by the author, is in the British Museum. work work published by himself was his "Four Essays upon the English Language, by John Ward*, D. LL. R. P.G. C. F. R. and A. SS. and T. B. M." which he gave the world in the month of June, [1758,] preceding his death, the preface being dated May 24. He died in the 80th year of his age, at his apartments in Gresham college, on Tuesday, October 17, 1758, having gone well to bed; but he waked between three and four in the morning with a complaint of a coldness in his head, and soon after expired. His body was interred on the 24th of the same month, in the burial-ground of Bunhill Fields. He had written an epitaph for himself in 1752 (seeming then to be apprehensive that his death might be nearer than it really proved to be); which, with the alteration only of dates, and the addition of the four lines printed in Italic, was afterwards adopted for him by his friend Dr. Chandler: "Hic requiescit quod mortale fuit JOHANNIS WARD, LL. D. aut doctior, non alius quisquam ; dilectæ ejus sororis ABIGAILIS WARD." His executors were Mr. John Ward, bookseller in * The meaning of these strange capitals may not at first sight be obvious. Those in Roman are well known; the others are, "Rhetorick Professor in Gresham College," and "Trustee of the British Museum." This line is not on the stone. Mrs. Abigail Ward, the Doctor's sister, died at his apartments in Gresham college, on Tuesday Sept. 10, 1745. Corn |