this be disposed of) that shall be void; for, if I had merited nothing, my circumstances want it. I am now forced on the drudgery of being the editor of Mr. Selden's Books, for a little money to buy other books to carry on my Liturgical Work. I have broken my constitution by the pains of making my collections myself throughout that large Work, without the help of an amanuensis, which I am not in a condition to keep, though the disease of my stomach (being a continual colic, of late attended by the rupture of a vein) might plead pity, and incline my superiors not to suffer me all my days to be a Gibeonite in the Church, without any regard or relief. Pray, my Lord, represent my case to the good Queen; and I shall never be wanting to make my most ample acknowledgment for so great a favour. I could long since have made my way to preferment without taking all this pains, by a noisy cry for a party: but, as this has been often the reproach, and once the ruin, of our Clergy, so I have always industriously avoided it, quietly doing what service I could to the Church I was born in, and leaving the issue thereof to God's Providence, and to the kind offices of some good man, who some time or other might befriend me in getting some little thing for to make my circumstances easy: which is the occasion that your Lordship has the trouble of this application from,

My Lord,

Your Lordship's most dutiful,

most obedient, and most humble servant, WILL. NICHOLLS." Dr. Nicholls lived not to finish some things which he designed. What he did are as followeth :

1. "An Answer to an heretical Book, called The Naked Gospel, which was condemned and ordered to be publicly burnt, by the Convocation of the University of Oxon, 19 Aug. 1690, with some Reflections on Dr. Bury's new Edition of that Book, 1691," 4to.

2. "A short History of Socinianism," printed with the Answer before mentioned; and dedicated to his patron the Earl of Montagu.

3. "A Practical Essay on the Contempt of the World*, with a Preface to the Deists of the Age, &c. 1694," Svo, inscribed to "Sir John Trevor, Master of the Rolls," to whom the Author acknowledges his obligations for "a considerable preferment bestowed in a most obliging and generous manner." 4. "The Advantages of a learned Education," a Sermon preached at a School Feast, 1698," 4to.

5. "The Duty of Inferiors towards their Superiors, in Five Practical Discourses; shewing, I. The Duty of Subjects to their Princes. II. The Duty of Children to their Parents. III. The Duty of Servants to their Masters. IV. The Duty of Wives to their Husbands. V. The Duty of Parishioners and the Laity to their Pastors and Clergy. To which is prefixed a Dissertation concerning the Divine Right of Princes, 1701," Svo.

6. "An Introduction to a devout Life, by Francis Sales, Bishop and Prince of Geneva; translated and reformed from the Errors of the Romish Edition. To which is prefixed a Discourse of the Rise and Progress of the Spiritual Books in the Romish Church, 1701," 8vo.

7. "A Treatise of Consolation to Parents for the Death of their Children; written upon the Occasion of the Death of the Duke of Gloucester;" and addressed to the most illustrious Princess Anne of Denmark, 1701," Svo.

66

8. "God's Blessing on Mineral Waters; a Sermon preached at the Chapel at Tunbridge Wells, 1702,"4to.

"Dr. Nicholls esteems Controversy as an useless province, and constantly ill-natured and ungenteel. I guess this is the reason he chooses to shew us The Vanity of the World,' in practical books. He is highly obliged to the contrivance of Nature, for the peculiar turn of his constitution: I might dwell upon this character; for the charms of his pen, and the blameless measures of his conversation, gain him the love of his hearers, and a true veneration from all that know him." Dunton, p. 449.

KK 2

9. "A

9. "A Conference with a Theist, in five Parts; dedicated to the Queen's most excellent Majesty, 1703," Svo; of which a third Edition, "with the Addition of Two Conferences, the one with a Machiavelian, the other with an Atheist, all carefully revised and prepared for the Press by the Author," was published in 2 vols. 8vo. 1723.

10. "A Practical Essay on the Contempt of the World; to which is prefixed a Preface to the Deists, and vicious Libertines of the Age, 1704," 2d ed. Svo.

11. "The Religion of a Prince; shewing that the Precepts of the Holy Scriptures are the best Maxims of Government, 1704, in opposition to Machiavel, Hobbes, &c. written upon Occasion of the Queen's giving up the Tenths and First Fruits for the inferior Clergy," Svo.

12. "Defensio Ecclesiæ Anglicana, 1707," 12mo. 13. "A Paraphrase on the Common Prayer, with Notes on the Sundays and Holidays, 1708," 8vo.

14. "Afflictions the Lot of God's Children; a Sermon on the Death of Prince George of Denmark, 1709," 8vo.

15. "A Commentary on the Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments; together with the Psalter or Psalms of David, 1710*,"folio.

16. "Historiæ Sacræ Libri VII; ex Antonii Socceii Sabellici Eneadibus concinnatum; in usum Scholarum, et Juventutis Christianæ, 1711," 12mo.

17. "A Supplement to the Commentary on the Book of Common Prayer, 1711," folio. In the Preface to this Supplement, Dr. Nicholls mentions "a-long fit of illness with which God had pleased to visit him, and a very unestablished state of health both before and after it." This illness very soon after ended in his death.

* This volume has the Royal Licence prefixed; and a List of more than 900 Subscribers. It was dedicated to the Queen; and he tells her Majesty, that "the success of his work is what never happened on the publishing any book before; that all the copies of it were either bought up or bespoken before it had seen the light."

18. "A Commentary on the first Fifteen and Part of the Sixteenth Articles of the Church of Eng land, 1712," folio. This was a posthumous publication; as was also,

19. "A Defence of the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England; first written in Latin for the Use of Foreigners, by William Nicholls, D. D. and translated into English by himself, 1715," 12mo.

Dr. Nicholls was reckoned a very excellent scholar, and was known abroad as well as at home by the learned correspondence he kept with Foreigners, as also by his publishing some of his works in Latin. He had the honour of receiving letters from the King of Prussia, Albert Molanus, Superintendant General of Brunswick and Lunenburgh, Monsieur Ostervald of Neufchatel, Benedictus Pictetus, Professor of Geneva, and others.-He died in his 48th year* ; and was buried at St. Swithin's, where his friend Mr. Elstob was then rector.

A volume of Letters in Latin (by Jablonski, Ostervald, Wetstein, &c.) was presented by his widow, Catharine Nicholls, to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Oct. 28, 1712, to be deposited either in Lambeth or St. Martin's Library; and are preserved in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth, No 676.

* Dr. Knight, in his Life of Dean Colet, p. 416, says, " April 18, 1711;" but he is probably wrong either in the month or in the year; as the letter in p. 489 is dated "Aug. 31, 1711."

**It may not be improper to distinguish this pious Divine from his name-sake, William Nicols, M. A. and rector of Stockport in Cheshire, who was a student of Christ Church, Oxford, and published, 1. "De Literis inventis libri sex; ad illustrissimum Principem Thomam Herbertum, Pembrokiæ Comitem, &c. 1711," Svo. 2. "Oratio coram venerabili Societate pro promovenda Religione Christianâ habita Londini, Decemb. 29, 1715," 12mo; and, 3. "MEPI APXON Libri Septem. Accedunt Litur◄ gica, 1717," 12mo.

No. II,

No. II.

MR. WILLIAM WHISTON,

an English Divine of very uncommon parts, and more uncommon learning, but of a singular and extraordinary character, was born Dec. 9, 1667, at Norton near Twycross, in the county of Leicester; of which place his father, Josiah Whiston, was the pious and learned rector from 1661 till his death in 1685.

William was kept at home till he was 17, and trained under his father; and this on two accounts: first, because he was himself a valetudinarian, being greatly subject to the flatus hypocondriaci in various shapes all his life long; secondly, that he might serve his father, who had lost his eye-sight, in the quality of an amanuensis.

In 1684, he was sent to Tamworth school; and two years after admitted of Clare hall in Cambridge, where he pursued his studies, and particularly the Mathematicks, eight hours in a day *, till 1693. In 1689, he took the degree of B. A.; and in 1693 became M.A. and fellow of the College. He soon after set up for a tutor; when, such was his reputation for learning and good manners, that Abp. Tillotson sent him

During this time, and while he was under-graduate, an accident happened to him, which may deserve to be related for a caution and benefit to others in the like circumstances. He observed one summer that his eyes did not see as usual, but dazzled after an awkward manner; upon which, imagining it arose from too much application, he remitted for a fortnight, and tried to recover his usual sight by walking much in green fields; but found himself no better. At that time he met with an account of Mr. Boyle's having known a person, who, having new-whited the wall of his chamber on which the sun shone, and having accustomed himself to read in that glaring light, thereby lost his sight for some time; till, upon hanging the place with green, he recovered it again: and this, he says, was exactly his own case, in a less degree, both as to the cause and the remedy.