ུ ་ NICOLAS TINDAL (nephew to the celebrated author of the "Rights of the Christian Church," from whom he had expectations of being provided for, but, by the artifices of Eustace Budgell, was tricked and defrauded) was of Exeter college, Oxford, where he took the degree of M. A. June 5, 1713. He was presented to the rectory of Alverstoke in Hampshire by the Bishop of Winchester, and to the vicarage of Great Waltham, near Chelmsford, Essex, 1722, by Trinity College, Oxford, of which he had become a fellow. In 1724 he published, in monthly numbers, "Antiquities Sacred and Prophane, being a Dissertation on the Excellency of the History of the Hebrews above that of any other Nation; wherein are examined the Antiquities and History of the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Chinese, &c. with the Peopling of America. To which are added, Chronological Tables of the Kings of Assyria, Chaldea, Persia, and Media. Written in French by R. P. D'Augustin Calmet; and done into English with Notes by N. Tindal, Vicar of Great Waltham." "Essex." He began a History of Essex; of which he published a small part, in two quarto numbers, proposing to include it in three quarto volumes, at one guinea each *; but left it, in 1726, for the translation of Rapin's History of England; in which has only saved his fair copy, that all his loose papers were burned. I hope he is somehow misinformed, by reason I understood from what Mr. Hutchins told me, that all was saved. I am, dear Sir, Your most faithful humble servant, PETER THOMPSON." * British Topography, vol. I. p. 345, n. This Translation, originally published in 8vo, 1726, and dedicated to Thomas Lord Howard, baron of Effingham, was re-printed in weekly numbers, in two volumes folio, 1732 and, 1733. The second volume of the Svo edition had been inscribed to Sir Charles Wager, when the Translator was chaplain on board the Torbay, in the Bay of Revel, in the Gulf of Finland. Vol. IV. is dedicated to the same, from the same place, 1727. Vol. VI. from Great Waltham, 1728, to the English Factors at Lisbon, where the Translator officiated as chaplain five months, in the absence of Mr. Sims, The "Continuation" was likewise pub work, as well as in the "Continuation” of it, he was most materially assisted by Mr. Morant (see vol. II. p. 241); and the sale of both so far exceeded the expectation of the booksellers (J.J. and P. Knapton), that they complimented him with a present of 200l. In 1727 he translated the text printed with Mr. Morant's Translation of the Notes of Messrs. de Beausobre and L'Enfant on St. Matthew's Gospel *. In 1732 a second edition of Rapin was published, with additional notes, in two volumes folio, with cuts by Vertue; dedicated to Frederick Prince of Wales; who was so pleased with the performance, that he very condescendingly presented to Mr. Tindal a gold medal worth 40 guineast. A portrait of him is prefixed to the second volume of this translation. On the discovery of the imposition practised on his uncle, he entered into a controversy with the person who had cheated him; and published, among other things, a pamphlet, intituled, "A Copy of the Will of Dr. Matthew Tindal, with an Account of lished in weekly numbers, which began in 1744, and were completed March 25, 1747, which is the date of the dedication to William Duke of Cumberland. This last was printed in two volumes, but is accompanied with a recommendation to bind it in three; vol. III. to contain the reign and medals of King William; vol. IV. the reign of Queen Anne; and vol. V. the reign of King George I. with the medals of Queen Anne and King George; a summary of the History of England, and the Index. A second edition of the "Continuation" appeared in 1751; and a new edition of the whole, in 21 volumes 8vo, 1757. When the "Hise tory" was published, Mr. Tindal was "Vicar of Great Waltham." In the "Continuation" he is called "Rector of Alverstoke, and chaplain to the Royal Hospital at Greenwich." * See before, vol. II. p. 204. + See the Dedication, with remarks, copied from "The Englishman," in Gent. Mag. 1733, vol. III. p. 356. By which 2000 guineas, and the MS. of a second volume of "Christianity as old as the Creation," were bequeathed to Mr. Budgell; and only a small residue to his nephew, whom, by a regular will, he had not long before appointed his sole heir. The transaction, which occasioned some suspicions of a fraud, is thus alluded to by Pope: "Let Budgell charge low Grub-street on my quill, what what passed concerning the same, between Mrs. Lucy Price, Eustace Budgell, esq. and Mr. Nicolas Tindal, 1733," 8vo. In 1734 he published a translation of "Prince Cantemir's History of the Othman Empire," folio. He was also editor of "A Guide to Classical Learning, or Polymetis abridged, for Schools;" a publication of much use, and which has passed through several editions. He quitted Great Waltham in 1740, on being presented to the rectory of Colbourne, in the Isle of Wight; having previously (in 1738) been appointed, by Sir Charles Wager, chaplain to Greenwich Hospital; where he died, at the advanced age of 87, June 27, 1774, and was interred July 2. Mr. Tindal said of Mr. Garrick, "The deaf hear him in his action, and the blind see him in his voice." DR. JOHN WARD, son of a Dissenting minister of the same name, was born in London, April 1679. His father died Dec. 28, 1717, in his 82d year*; his mother (Constancy†) in April 1697. He was for *He was interred in a church in Worcester; the following epitaph being written upon him by his son: "H.S. E. Joannes Ward, Tysoe in agro Warwicensi natus, civis verò Londinensis ; vir antiquis moribus magnâque pietate præditus; qui, si quis alius, variam et incertam humanæ vitæ conditionem expertus, sibi similis et constans semper permansit; multa enim integritatis, multa religionis causâ perpessus, omnia fortissimo et excelso animo sustinuit, utpotè qui felicitatem non tam in externâ rerum specie, quam in mente recti sibi conscia collocavit. In matrimonio habuit Constantiam Rayner, Londinatem, feminam virtute ac sanctimoniâ præstantem, studioque in omnes bonos, dum vixit, singulari, quae liberos XIV ei peperit, quorum duo tantum superstites Joannes et Abigail. Post vitam autem annis et laboribus exhaustam, terrenas res diù pertæsus, cœlúmque suspirans, in Christo placidè obdormivit v. kal. Jan. A. D. MDCCXVII. ætatis suæ LXXXII." ↑ "Caleb's Spirit paralleled, in a Sermon preached at the Funeral of the late Mrs. Constancy Ward, of East Sinithfield, London, at the Meeting-house in Devonshire-square, April 7, 1697. By Walter Crosse, M. A. Lond. 1697." 4to. some years á clerk in the Navy-office; and at leisure hours pursued his studies with great diligence, under the guidance of John Ker, M.D.* author of "Selectarum de linguâ Latinâ observationum libri II." who kept an academy, first at Highgate, and afterwards in St. John's-square, Clerkenwell. He continued in his employment in the Navy-office till the summer of 1710, when, finding no other means of gratifying his zeal for the acquisition of knowledge, he was induced to undertake the education of a certain number of the children of his friends; choosing rather, as he expressed himself in a letter to a friend, "to converse even with boys upon subjects of literature, than to transact the ordinary affairs of life among men." For this purpose he opened a school in Tenter-alley in Moorfields, which he kept for many years. In 1712 he became one of the earliest members of a society, formed by a set of gentlemen, divines, and lawyers, in London, who agreed to meet together once a week, or as often as their affairs would permit, to prepare and read discourses, each in his turn, upon the civil law, as also upon the law of nature and nations, for their mutual entertainment and improvement. This Society, with some occasional interruptions, was kept up till Michaelmas term, 1742. Several of the members have been persons of distinguished character both in church and state; and Mr. Ward continued highly esteemed among them, while the society subsisted. In the same year, 1712, he published a small piece in Latin, of 39 pages in Svo, printed in London, with the title of "De ordine, sive de venustâ et eleganti tum vocabulorum, tum membrorum sententiæ collocatione. His quædam adjiciuntur de vitiis ordinis: item de variis modis, *He took that degree at Leyden, March 5, 1696-7, as appears from his Thesis printed there, in 4to, and intituled "Disputatio physico-medica inauguralis de secretionis animalis efficiente causa et ordinc." In the title-page, Dr. Ker styles himself Scoto-Hibernus. quibus, 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. |