Page images
PDF
EPUB

&c. 1649. 8. The year before came out a book entitled "The manifold Practices and Attempts of the Hamiltons, &c. to get the Crown of Scotland," 1648, próbably written by Needham, as the whole of it is contained in the "Digitus Dei." 9. "The Public Intelligencer," &c.; these came out weekly on Monday, but contained mostly the same matter that was in the "Political Mercuries." 10. "The Case of the Commonwealth of England stated," &c. 1649. 11. "Discourse of the excellency of a Free State above Kingly Government," 1650, published with the former, and reprinted in 1768, by Richard Baron, a politician of the republican stamp. 12. "An Appendix added out of Claudius Salmasius's Defensio Regis, and Mr. Hobbes's de corpore politico." 13. "Trial of Mr. John Goodwin, at the bar of religion and right reason," &c. 1657. In reply to this, Goodwin took occasion, in a piece entitled "The Triumviri," to characterize our author as having a foul mouth, which Satan hath opened, &c. 1658. 15. "Interest will not lye, &c. in refutation of 'The Interest of England stated," 1659. 14. "The moderate Informer, &c. communicating the most remarkable transactions, both civil and military, in the Commonwealth of England," &c. It commences with the 12th of May 1659, but was not carried on above two or three weeks. Needham, it seems, was dismissed from his place of writing the weekly news, in the time of Richard, by the influence of the Presbyteriaus, and John Can put in his room; yet, in spite of opposition, he carried on the writing of his "Mercuries," 16. "News from Brussels, &c. in a Letter dated 10 March, 1659;" but said to be written by our author against Charles II. and his court, and conveyed to the press by Praise-God Barebones. It was answered about a week after, in "The late News, or Message from Brussels unmasked." 17. "A short History of the English Rebellion completed, in verse," 1661; a collection of all such verses as he had printed before each of his "Mercurii Pragmatici." To it he prefixed "The true Character of a rigid Presbyter;" and added the coat of arms of sir Johu Presbyter: but the character was not of his writing. It was reprinted in 1680, 4to. 18. "Discourse concerning Schools and School-masters," 1663. 19. "Medela Medicinæ," &c. 1665; answered by two doctors of that faculty, fellows of the college of physicians, viz. John Twisden, in his "Medicina veterum vindicata," &c. and Robert Sprackling, in his "Medela Igno

rantiæ." 20. "An epistolary Discourse" before "Medicina Instaurata, &c. by Edward Bolnest, M. D." 1665. 21. "A Pacquet of Advices and Animadversions, &c. occasioned by a Letter from a person of quality to his friend in the country, written by lord Shaftesbury," 1676. 22. “A second Pacquet of Advices, &c. in answer to some Consi derations upon the Question whether the Parliament be dissolved by its Prorogation for Fifteen Months?" and another, entitled "The Long Parliament dissolved," written by Denzil lord Holles, but owned by his chaplain, a nonconformist, named Carey, or Carew, who was committed prisoner to the Tower of London in the beginning of February, 1676. 23. "A Letter from a person newly chosen to sit in this Parliament, to a Bencher in the Temple," &c. 24. "A Narrative of the cause and manner of the Imprisonment of the Lords now close prisoners in the Tower of London." Needham is said to have been encouraged to write these two Pacquets by lord Danby. 25. "Christianissimus Christianandus; or Reasons for the Reduction of France to a more Christian state in Europe," 1678. 26. "A Preface to A new idea of the Practice of Physic, written by Francis de la Boe Sylvius,'" 1675.

Our author also translated into English, Selden's "Mare Clausum," printed in 1652, or thereabouts, in folio; in which he foisted the name of commonwealth, instead of the kings of England, and suppressed the dedication to the king. He also added an appendix to it, concerning the Sovereignty of the kings of Great Britain on the sea, entitled "Additional Evidences," which he procured, as it is thought, of president Bradshaw. He also made comments and glosses on the book; but after the restoration the copy was corrected, and restored by J. H. gent. (James Howell), and printed in 1662, folio.'

NEEFS (PETER), a celebrated painter of architecture, was born, as is supposed, at Antwerp, in 1570, and was a disciple of Henry Stenwyck. His favourite objects were views of the interior of churches, convents, splendid halls, &c. Of these he described the rich decorations, and every member of the architecture, with uncommon neatness of pencilling, but with such attention to the most minute parts, as must have required a vast deal of patience, and has indeed in some cases made them objects of wonder

Ath. Ox. vol. II.

rather than of imitation. The columns, capitals, or the ornamental paintings of the churches he represents, are all marked with the utmost precision, and finished with an exquisite touch, and a light clean pencil. It is said, however, that he sometimes took liberties with the originals by introducing objects that he thought improved them to the eye. This was making a pleasing picture, but was a violation of truth. As he designed figures but indifferently, other artists assisted him in these, particularly Velvet Breughel and Teniers. He did in 1651, aged eighty-one, leaving a son, called The Young, who painted the same subjects, but with inferior skill.

NEER (ARNOLD VANDER), a landscape painter, was born at Amsterdam in 1619, and is well known to the connoisseurs in painting, by a peculiarity of style, and also by the handling and transparence of his landscapes. His subjects are views of villages, or the huts of fishermen, on the banks of rivers and canals, by moon-light, generally finished with a remarkable neatness of pencilling. His touch is extremely light, free, and clean, and his imitation of nature true; particularly in the lustre of his skies about the moon, and the reflection of the beams of that luminary on the surface of the water. His figures are usually well designed, and their actions and attitudes are well adapted to their employments and occupations. In all parts of Europe his pictures are still in good esteem, but are seldom found uninjured, owing to the simplicity of his manner, and his painting very thin. This artist died in 1683, leaving a son, EGLON HENDRICK VANDER NEER, who was born at Amsterdam in 1643. He was at first a pupil to his father, and afterwards of Jacob Vanloo. He had an extensive talent, and executed subjects drawn from various branches of the art, with an equal degree of merit. His portraits, in large and small, are well coloured, and touched with spirit and delicacy; in history he designed with correctness, and composed with ingenuity; his conversations have the manner, the breadth, and the finish, of Terburg; his landscape is varied and well chosen, but too much loaded, and too anxiously discriminated in the fore-grounds. The portrait of this artist, painted by himself, and inscribed "Eglon Hendric Vander Neer f. 1696," has a place in the gal lery of Florence. He died in 1703, aged sixty.

1 D'Argenville, vol. III.-Deschamps, vol. 1.-Pilkington,

2

• D'Argenville, vol. III.-Deschamps, vol. III.-Pilkington, by Fuseli,

NEERCASSEL (JOHN DE), a celebrated bishop of the catholics in Holland, known by the title of bishop of Castoria, was born at Gorcum in 1626. He entered the congregation of the oratory at Paris, and, having finished his plan of education there, went to be professor of philosophy at Saumur, then of divinity at Mechlin, and was afterwards archdeacon of Utrecht, and apostolical provincial. James de la Torre, archbishop of Utrecht, being dead, M. de Neercassel was elected in his place by the chapter of that city; but, Alexander VII. preferring M. Catz, dean of the chapter of Harlem, they agreed between them, as a means to preserve peace, that M. Catz should govern the diocese of Harlem under the title of archbishop of Philippi, and M. de Neercassel that of Utrecht, under that of bishop of Castoria. This agreement being approved by the nuncio of Brussels, they were both consecrated in the same day at Cologn, September 9, 1662; but, M. Catz dying a year after, M. de Neercassel remained sole bishop of all the catholics in Holland, of which there were above four hundred thousand. He governed them with great prudence, and, after having discharged the duties of his office in the most exemplary manner, died June 8, 1686, aged sixty, in consequence of the fatigues attending the visitation of his churches. This prelate left three tracts in Latin, the first "On reading of the Holy Scriptures;" to which he bas added a dissertation "On the Interpretation of Scripture;" the second "On the worship of the Saints and the Holy Virgin;" the third, entitled "Amor Pœnitens." This last is a treatise on the necessity of the love of God in the sacrament of penitence. The two first have been translated into French by M. le Roy, abbot of Haute-Fontaine, 2 vols. 8vo, and the third by Peter Gilbert, a Parisian, 1741, 3 vols. 12mo. The best Latin edition of "Amor. Pœnitens" is that of 1684, 2 vols. 8vo; the second part of the Appendix, which is in this edition, was written by M. Arnauld, and only approved by M. de Neercassel. The above three tracts having some expressions which were. thought to favour the errors of Jansenius, an attempt was made to get the "Amor Pœnitens" condemned at Rome; but pope Innocent XI. to whom the application was ad-: dressed, declared that "the book contained sound doctrine, and the author was a holy man."

1 Moreri.-Dict. Hist.-Foppen Bibl. Belg.

NELSON (HORATIO), one of the bravest, and the most successful naval commander that ever appeared in the world, the fourth son of the rev. Edmund Nelson, rector of Burnham-Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk, was born in the parsonage-house of that parish, September 29, 1758. His father's progenitors were originally settled at Hilsborough, where, in addition to a small hereditary estate, they possessed the patronage of the living, which our hero's grandfather enjoyed for several years. His father married, in May 1749, Catherine, daughter of Maurice Suckling, D. D. prebendary of Westminster, whose grandmother had been sister to sir Robert Walpole, earl of Orford. By this lady he had eight sons and three daughters. Horatio, so called after the late earl of Orford, was placed at the high-school of Norwich, whence he was removed to NorthWalsham, both within the precincts of his native county. In his twelfth year, the dispute having taken place between the courts of St. James's and Madrid, relative to the possession of the Falkland Islands, an armament was immediately ordered, and captain Maurice Suckling, his maternal uncle, having obtained a ship, young Nelson was, at his own earnest request, placed on his quarter-deck as a midshipman, on board the Raisonable, of 64 guns. But in consequence of the dispute being terminated, and capt. Suckling being appointed to a guard-ship in the Medway, Nelson was sent a voyage to the West Indies, and on his return he was received by his uncle on board the Triumph, then lying at Chatham, in the month of July 1772. It was observed, however, that although his voyage to the East Indies had given him a good practical knowledge of seamanship, he had acquired an absolute horror of the royal navy; and it was with some difficulty that captain Suckling was enabled to reconcile him to the service; but an inherent ardour, coupled with an unabating spirit of enterprize, and utter scorn of danger, made him at length ambitious to partake in every scene where knowledge was to be obtained or glory earned.

An opportunity of this kind soon presented itself, and appeared admirably calculated to satiate that romantic taste for adventure which, from the earliest periods of his life, seemed at once to fill and to agitate the bosom of our youthful hero. When captain Phipps, afterwards lord Mulgrave, sailed June 2d, 1773, towards the North Pole, on board the Racehorse, captain Lutwidge commanded another

« PreviousContinue »