conry of Middlesex on the same subject. He now found an antagonist in Middleton, (a Tindal in disguise), who published "A Letter to Dr. Waterland," &c. the purport and consequences of which we have already detailed. (See MIDDLETON, p. 137.)

Dr. Waterland had another controversy with Mr. Jackson before mentioned, on account of Dr. Clarke's "Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God," Dr. Waterland undertaking to show the weakness of the argument a priori, which Clarke had thought proper to employ on this occasion. In the "Second defence of his Queries," Dr. Waterland had dropt some hints against this kind of argument, but did not at that time enter into the subject; nor were his objections published until 1734, when the substance of what he had written upon the subject, in some letters to a gentleman, was given to the public by Mr. (afterwards bishop) Law, partly in his notes on King's "Origin of Evil" and partly in his "Inquiry into the ideas of Space," &c. to which is added "A Dissertation on the argument a priori by a learned hand," i.e. Waterland. In this dissertation he endeavoured to prove, first, that the argumentum a priori is very loose and precarious, depending on little else than an improper use of equivocal terms or phrases: secondly, that, moreover, when fully understood, it is palpably wrong and absurd; thirdly, that the several pleas or excuses invented for it are fallacious, and of no real weight; and he concludes with a brief intimation of the hurtful tendency of insisting so much upon this pretended argument, both with regard to religion and science. The publication of these sentiments served to renew the controversy between Mr. Law, himself, and Mr. Jackson.

In the same year, 1734, Dr. Waterland published "The importance of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity asserted," not the most temperate of his writings, for he hints at the interference of the civil magistrate; but as he considers the doctrine of the Trinity to be fundamental, this was alone an assertion sufficient to call down the vengeance of the Arian and Socinian writers, both then and since, when speaking of him. He pursued the same subject in two charges delivered to the clergy of his archdeaconry, in this and the following year. Having often introduced the doctrine of the Eucharist in his charges, he combined his sentiments on that topic in a large Svo volume, entitled

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"A Review of the doctrine of the Eucharist, as laid down in scripture and antiquity," 1737. This was the last of his works that appeared in his life-time, and was calculated to confute the opinions of Hoadly, Johnson, and Brett.

About 1740, a complaint which he had long neglected, as appearing a trifle (the nail growing into one of his great toes) obliged him to remove from Cambridge to London for the benefit of the advice of the celebrated surgeon, Cheselden but this was now too late; for a bad habit of body, contracted by too intense an application to his studies, rendered his case desperate; and after undergoing several painful operations, with exemplary patience, a mortification took place, of which he died Dec. 23. He was interred, at his own request, in one of the small chapels on the south side of the collegiate church of Windsor, where is a plain stone with his name and age, fifty-eight, inscribed on it.

Dr. Waterland married, about 1719, a lady of good family and fortune,'who survived him; but he left no child. He was a man free from ambition; all his preferments were bestowed without any application on his part direct or indirect, and he might have reached to higher, had he desired them, by the recommendation of archbishop Potter. The bishopric of Llandaff was once offered to him, but he declined it.

In his life time he published some single sermons, and after his death two volumes more were added, with two tracts, 1. "A summary view of the doctrine of Justification. 2. An Inquiry concerning the antiquity of the practice of infant communion, as founded on the notion of its necessity. The whole published from the originals, in pursuance of the request of the author, by Joseph Clarke, M. A." 1742. The tract on justification seems chiefly levelled at Whitfield's answer to the bishop of London's pastoral letter, in which he asserted good works to be only fruits and consequences of justification.

Dr. Waterland was one of the ablest defenders of the doctrine of the Trinity in his day, not perhaps always the most temperate, for he appears to have occasionally lost his temper amidst the rude attacks of some of his antagonists, but in general he adhered closely to his argument, and avoided personalities. As Arianism was the chief object of his aversion, it was some times retorted that he too had departed from the creed of his church by inclining towards Arminianism.

His character was drawn at great length by the rev. Jeremiah Seed, in a funeral sermon, preached Jan. 4, 1740-1, the Sunday after his interment. "His head," says Mr. Seed, was an immense library, where the treasures of learning were ranged in such exact order, that, whatever himself or his friends wanted, he could have immediate recourse to, without any embarrassment. A prodigious expence of reading, without a confusion of ideas, is almost the peculiar characteristic of his writings. His works, particularly those upon our Saviour's Divinity, and the Importance of the doctrine, and the Eucharist, into which he has digested the learning of all preceding ages, will, we may venture to say, be transmitted to, and stand the examination of, all succeeding ones. He has so thoroughly exhausted every subject that he wrote a set treatise upon, that it is impossible to hit upon any thing which is not in his writings, or to express that more justly and clearly, which is there."

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WATSON (DAVID), known chiefly as a translator of Horace, was born at Brechin in Scotland, 1710, and educated in St. Leonard's college, St. Andrew's, where he took his degrees, and was appointed professor of philosophy. When the college of St. Leonard was united by act of parliament to that of St. Salvador, 1747, he came to London, and completed his translation of Horace, 2 vols. 8vo, with notes, &c. which is in great esteem. But his dissipated life brought him into many wants, and he was frequently destitute of the common necessaries of life. In his latter years he taught the classics to private gentlemen; but his love of pleasure plunged him into new difficulties; and he sunk beneath his character as a scholar. in great want near London, 1756, in the forty-sixth year his age, and was buried at the expence of the parish. Besides his translation of Horace, he wrote "The History of the Heathen Gods and Goddesses."

He died of

WATSON (HENRY), a gallant officer and able engineer, was the son of a grazier, who lived at Holbeach, in Lincolnshire, where he was born about 1737, and educated at Gosberton school. Here his genius for the mathematics soon discovered itself, and in 1753 he was a frequent contributor to the "Ladies Diary." About this time 1 Biog. Brit.-Seed's Funeral Sermon. 2 Preceding edition of this Dict.

his abilities became known to Mr. Whichcot, of Harpswell, then one of the members of parliament for Lincolnshire, who introduced him to the royal academy at Woolwich; and he soon after obtained a commission in the corps of engineers. Under the celebrated mathematician, Thomas Simpson, Watson prosecuted his studies at Woolwich, and continued to write for the "Ladies Diary," of which Simpson was at that time the editor. Such was Simpson's opinion of Watson's abilitles, that at his decease he left him his unfinished mathematical papers, with a request that he would revise them, and make what alterations and additions he might think necessary; but of this privilege it seems to be doubted whether he made the best use. (See SIMPSON, p. 20.)

During the war which broke out in 1756, he gave signal proofs of his superior abilities as an engineer; particularly at the siege of Belleisle in 1761, and at the Havannah in 1762. At the latter place his skill was particularly put to the proof; for having declared at a consultation, contrary to the opinion of the other engineers, that a breach might be made in the Moro Castle, then deemed impregnable, he was asked by the commander in chief in what time he would engage to make the breach? He gave for answer, that with a certain number of men and cannon (naming them) he would undertake to do it in forty-eight hours after the proposed batteries were erected. Accordingly he undertook it, and though he was struck down by the wind of a ball which passed near his head, and carried for dead to his tent, yet he soon recovered and returned to his duty, and the breach was made in a little more than half the time. For this piece of service he not only received the particular thanks of the commander in chief, but of his majesty.

His abilities soon became too conspicuous to be overlooked by that eminent soldier and politician, lord Clive, who singled him out as an engineer qualified for great and noble enterprises. Accordingly he accompanied his lordship to Bengal for the purpose of carrying such plans into execution which might be thought necessary for the preservation of the British acquisitions in that quarter; or to assist his lordship in any further operations he might think requisite for the interest of his country.

It was not difficult for a person of the colonel's penetration to see the advantageous situation of the Bay of Bengal.

He knew that if proper forts were built, and the English marine put on a tolerable footing in that part, they might soon become masters of the Eastern seas; he therefore got a grant of lands from the East India company for constructing wet and dry docks, and a marine yard at Calcutta, for cleaning, repairing, and furnishing with stores the men of war and merchantmen. A plan of the undertaking was drawn, engraved, and presented to his majesty, and the East India company, and fully approved of; and the works were carried on for some years with a spirit and vigour that manifested the judgment and abilities of the undertaker; and though the utility of such a national concern is too obvious to be insisted on, yet the colonel, after sinking upwards of 100,000l. of his own property in the noble design, was obliged to desist, for reasons that are not very clear.

Colonel Watson had determined to come immediately for England to seek redress; but, on consulting his friend Mr. Creassy (the superintendant of the works) he changed his resolution. Mr. Creassy represented to the colonel the loss he would sustain in quitting so lucrative an office as chief engineer to the East India company; the gratification his enemies would receive on his leaving that country; the loss the company might experience during his absence; and finally the delay and uncertainty of the law. These considerations induced him to send Mr. Creassy in his stead. This happened just at the eve of the Spanish war; and, as the colonel had great quantities of iron and timber in store, he resolved to build three ships, two of 36, and one of 32 guns; and in consequence he sent instructions to his agents in England to procure letters of marque, and Mr. Creassy was to return with them over land. These vessels were to cruise off the Philippines for the purpose of intercepting the Spanish trade between Manilla and China. This design, however, was frustrated, perhaps by the same means that stopped his proceeding with the docks; for his agents, on applying for the letters, received a positive refusal. But these disappointments did not damp the colonel's enterprising spirit; for, as soon as be heard of the ill success of his agents in England, he very prudently employed the two vessels he had finished in commercial service. The third never was finished.

For near ten years colonel Watson was the chief engineer of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa. The East India company,