however, he received what he considered an insult from the college, who chose a junior fellow as an elect, on the death of Dr. Coningham, in preference to him, without any apparent reason; and he indignantly resigned his lectureship, never afterwards attending the meetings of the fellows, except when matters of the utmost importance were in agitation. In 1751 he took some revenge in an anonymous pamphlet, entitled "The Petition of the unborn Babes to the Censors of the Royal College of Phy sicians in London," in which Dr. Nesbitt, Dr. Maule, Dr. Barrowby principally, and sir William Browne, sir Edward Hulse, and the Scots, were the objects of his satire.

On the death of sir Hans Sloane, in 1753, Dr. Nichols was appointed his successor as one of the king's physicians; an office which he held till the death of his majesty in 1760, when the most skilful were superseded to make way for one who, his biographer says, was not long before an army surgeon of the lowest order. On this occasion an offer of a pension was made to Dr. Nichols, which it was suggested he might have if he would ask for it, but he rejected it with disdain. In 1772 he published a second edition of his treatise "De Anima Medica," to which was subjoined a dissertation "De Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Homine nato et non nato," inscribed to his learned friend and coadjutor the late Dr. Lawrence.

Weary at length with his profession, and with a residence in London, and also wishing to superintend the education of his son at Oxford, he removed to that city, where he had spent some of the most agreeable years of his youth. But when the study of the law recalled his son (afterwards a member of parliament) to London, the doctor took a house at Epsom, where he passed the remainder of his life in a literary retirement, varying his recreations by an attention to the recent botanical researches of Linnæus, and by some agricultural inquiries. His constitution had never been robust; he was constantly subject to severe catarrhal affections, and an asthmatic cough, which, returning with great violence January 7, 1778, deprived the world of this valuable man, in the eightieth year of his age. In 1780 his friend Dr. Thomas Lawrence, wrote his life in elegant Latin, for distribution among his friends. He gives his character as very amiable.'

1 Life by Dr. Lawrence. Gent. Mag. vol. LV.-Boswell's Life of Johnson. Orton's Letters, vol. II. p. 260, in a letter from sir James Stonhouse, bart. M. D.

.' NICHOLS, or NICCOLS (RICHARD), whom Mr. Headley considers as a poet of great elegance and imagination, and one of the ornaments of the reign of Elizabeth, was born in London, of genteel parents, in 1584. In 1602 he entered a student of Magdalen college, Oxford, whence, after a short time, he removed to Magdalen hall, and took the degree of B. A. in 1606. After remaining at the uni versity some years, and being esteemed among the most ingenious men of his day, according to Wood, he quitted Oxford for London, where he "obtained an employment suitable to his faculty." What this employment was, we are left to conjecture. The time of his death is also uncertain, but he appears to have been alive at least in 1616, and was then but young. The most material of his works are his additions to "The Mirror for Magistrates," a book most popular in its time (see HIGGINS), containing a series of pieces by Sackville, Baldwyne, Ferrers, Churchyard, Phayer, Higgins, Drayton. It was ultimately completed, and its contents new arranged by Nichols, whose supplement to the edition of 1610 is entitled "A Winter Night's Vision." To this likewise is improperly subjoined "England's Eliza; or the victorious and triumphant reigne of that virgin Empress, &c. Elizabeth, queen of England," &c. His other writings are, "The Cuckow, a Poem," London, 1607; "Monodia, or Waltham's complaint upon the death of the most vertuous and noble lady, late deceased, the lady Honor Hay," ibid. 1615; a play called "The Twynnes Tragedye" is attributed to him in the Biog. Dram.; but we can, on better authority, add "London's Artillery, briefly containing the noble practice of that worthie Society," &c. &c. 1616, 4to; "The Three Sisters' Tears, shed at the late solemne Funerals of the royal Henry, prince of Wales,” &c. 1613, 4to; and "The Furies, with Vertue's encomium, &c. in two books of epigrammes, satirical and enco miastic," 1614, 8vo. Ample specimens of his poetry are given in Headley's "Beauties," and the "Bibliographer."" NICHOLS (WILLIAM), an English divine of great learning and merit, was the son of John Nichols, of Ďonington, in Bucks, an eminent counsellor, and was born in 1664. He was educated at St. Paul's school, London, whence, in 1679, he went to Magdalen hall, Oxford. He

1 Ath. Ox. vol. I.-Biog. Dram.-Warton's Hist. of Poetry.-Headley's Beauties.-The Bibliographer, vol. I.—Bibliotheca Anglo-Poetica.

removed afterwards to Wadham college, where he took the degree of B. A. Nov. 27, 1683; but being admitted probationer-fellow of Merton college in October 1684, he completed his degree of M. A. there on June 19, 1688. About that time he entered into holy orders, became chaplain to Ralph earl of Montague, and in September 1691, rector of Selsey, near Chichester, in Sussex. He was admitted B. D. July 2, 1692, and D. D. Nov. 29, 1695. After a life entirely devoted to piety and study, we find him, in the close of it, thus describing his situation, in a letter to Robert earl of Oxford:

"Smith-street, Westminster, Aug. 31, 1711. "May it please your lordship,

"I was in hopes that her majesty would have bestowed the prebend of Westminster upon me, being the place where I live, and that I might be nearer to books, to finish my work on the liturgy and articles, for which she was pleased to tell to me, with her own mouth, she would consider me. My good lord, I have taken more pains in this matter than any divine of our nation, which I hope may bespeak the favour of a church-of-England ministry. Therefore I most humbly beseech your lordship for your interest for the next prebend of that church (if 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 cholic 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 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 me 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,

manner."

And most humble servant,

WILL. NICHOLS."

That he deserved more attention, will appear from the following list of his useful publications. 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, Aug. 19, 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 Montague. 3. "A Practical Essay on the Contempt of the World," 1694, 8vo, 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 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, 8vo. 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, 8vo. 8. "God's Blessing on Mineral Waters;" a Sermon preached at the chapel at Tunbridge Wells," 1702,

9. "A Conference with a Theist, in five parts; dedicated to the Queen's most excellent Majesty," 1703, 8vo; of which a third edition, with the addition of two conferences, the one with a Machiavelian, the other with

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an Atheist, all carefully revised and prepared for the press by the author, was published in 1723, 2 vols. 8vo. This was particularly designed, says Leland, by the learned and ingenious author, in opposition to the "Oracles of Reason," published by Blount; and he has not left any material part of that work unanswered. 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 edit. 8vo. 11. "The Religion of a Prince; shewing that the Precepts of the Holy Scriptures are the best maxims of Government," 1704, 8vo, in opposition to Machiavel, Hobbes, &c. and written when the queen gave up the tenths and first fruits to the inferior clergy. 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," 1709, 8vo. 15. "A Comment on the Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments,' &c. 1710, folio. This volume has the royal licence prefixed, and a list of more than 900 subscribers. In his dedication to the queen, he notices, as what never happened before, that all the copies were bespoke or paid for before the day of publication. It still continues to be printed in 8vo. The late sir James Stonhouse, in a letter to the rev. Thomas Stedman, dated 1793, says of this work, "I would have you recommend it to every family in your parish as it will shew them the use of the common prayer and psalms, as read in our churches, and be a standard book from father to son." 16. "A Supplement to the Commentary on the Book of Common Prayer," 1711, folio. In the preface to this supplement, Dr. Nichols mentions "a long fit of illness with which God had pleased to visit him, and a very unestablisbed state of health both before and after it." This illness appears soon to have ended in his death. 17. "Historiæ Sacræ Libri VII. Ex Antonii Cocceii Sabellici Eneadibus concinnatum, in usum Scholarum et Juventutis Christianæ," 1711, 12mo. 18 "A Commentary on the first fifteen, and part of the sixteenth Articles of the Church of England," 1712, fol. 19. "A Defence of the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England; first written in Latin, for the use of foreigners, by William Nichols, D. D. and translated inte English by himself," 1715, 12mo. Dr. Nichols was rec