8vo. 7. "An earnest and compassionate suit for forbearance to the learned Writers of some Controversies at present," Lond. 1691, 4to. This tract was occasioned by Stillingfleet's publishing his vindication of the doctrine of the Trinity. Stillingfleet having afterwards published his "Apology for writing against the Socinians," our author animadverted upon it in, 8. "The Anti-apology of the melancholy stander-by, in answer to the dean of St. Paul's Apology for writing against the Socinians," Lond. 1693,

4to.

9. "A brief and modest reply to Mr. Penn's tedious, scurrilous, and unchristian defence against the bishop of Cork," Dublin, 1699, 4to. He published also a Greek and a Latin grammar, the latter often reprinted; and a translation of the tenth satire of Juvenal, in Pindaric verse, "by a person sometime fellow of Trinity college, Dublin," but his name is signed to the dedication.'

WETSTEIN (JOHN JAMES), a very learned divíne of Germany, was descended from an ancient and distinguished family, and born at Basil in 1693. He was trained with great care, and had early made such a progress in the Greek and Latin tongues as to be thought fit for higher pursuits. At fourteen he applied himself to divinity under his uncle John Rodolph Wetstein, a professor at Basil, and learned Hebrew and the Oriental languages from Buxtorf. At sixteen, he took the degree of doctor in philosophy, and four years after was admitted into the ministry; on which occasion he publicly defended a thesis, "De variis Novi Testamenti Lectionibus," in which he demonstrated that the vast variety of readings in the New Testament are no argument against the genuineness and authenticity of the text. These various readings he had for some time made the object of his attention; and, while he was studying the ancient Greek authors, as well sacred as profane, kept this point constantly in view. He was also very desirous of examining all the manuscripts he could come at; and his curiosity in this particular was the chief motive of his travelling to foreign countries. In 1714 he went to Geneva, and, after some stay there, to Paris; thence to England; in which last place he had many conferences with Dr. Bentley relating to the prime object of his journey. Passing through Holland, he arrived at Basil in July 1717, and applied himself to the business of the ministry for several

Harris's edition of Ware's Ireland.

years. Still he went on with his critical disquisitions and animadversions upon the various readings of the New Testament; and kept a constant correspondence with Dr. Bentley, who was at the same time busy in preparing an edition of it, yet did not propose to make use of any manuscripts less than a thousand years old, which are not easy to be met with.

In 1730 Wetstein published, in 4to, "Prolegomena ad Novi Testamenti Græci editionem accuratissimam è vetustissimis Codd. MSS. denuo procurandam." Before the publication of these "Prolegomena," some divines, from a dread of having the present text unsettled, had procured a decree from the senate of Basil, that Mr. Wetstein's "undertaking was both trifling and unnecessary, and also dangerous;" they added too, but it does not appear upon what foundation, that his " New Testament savoured of Socinianism." They now proceeded farther, and, by various means procured his being prohibited from officiating as a minister. Upon this, he went into Holland, being invited by the booksellers Wetsteins, who were his relations; and had not been long at Amsterdam before the remonstrants, or Arminians, named him to succeed Le Clerc, now superannuated and incapable, in the professorship of philosophy and history. But though they were perfectly satisfied of his innocence, yet they thought it necessary that he should clear himself in form before they admitted him; and for this purpose he went to Basil, made a public apology, got the decree against him reversed, and returned to Amsterdam in May 1733. Here he went ardently on with his edition of the New Testameut, sparing nothing to bring it to perfection, neither labour, nor expence, nor even journeys; for he came over a second time to England in 1746, when Mr. Gloster Ridley accommodated him with his manuscript of the Syriac version of the New TestaAt last he published it; the first volume in 1751, the second in 1752, folio. The text he left entirely as he found it; the various readings, of which he had collected more than any one before him, or all of them together, he placed under the text. Under these various readings he subjoined a critical commentary, containing observations which he had collected from an infinite number of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, writers. At the end of his New Testament he published two epistles of Clemens Romanus, with a Latin version and preface, in which he en

ment.

deavours to establish their genuineness. These epistles were never published before, nor even known to the learned, but were discovered by him in a Syriac manuscript of the New Testament.

This work established his reputation over all Europe; and he received marks of honour and distinction from several illustrious bodies of men. He was elected into the royal academy of Prussia in June 1752; into the English society for propagating the gospel in foreign parts, in Feb. 1752-3, and into the royal society of London in April following. He died at Amsterdam, of a mortification, March 24, 1754. Besides his edition of the New Testament, he published some things of a small kind; among the rest, a funeral oration upon Mr. Le Clerc. He is represented not only as having been an universal scholar, and of consummate skill in all languages, but as a man abounding in good and amiable qualities.

JOHN RODOLPH WETSTEIN, mentioned above as one of the tutors to JOHN JAMES WETSTEIN, was born September 1, 1647, at Basil, and was grandson of John Rodolphus Wetstein, burgomaster of that city, a man of great merit, who rendered important services to his country at the peace of Munster, in the Imperial court, and in his native place. John Rodolphus, the subject of this article, succeeded his father as professor of Greek, and afterwards of divinity, and died at Basil April 21, 1711, leaving two sons, one of whom, Rodolphus, was professor of divinity at Basil, and the other, John Henry, a bookseller at Amsterdam. He had published, in 1673, with notes, Origen's "Dialogue against the Marcionites," with the "Exhortation to Martyrdom," and the letter to Africanus concerning the "History of Susanna," which he first took from the Greek MSS. We have several other valuable discourses or dissertations of his. Henry Wetstein, one of his brothers, also well acquainted with Greek and Latin, settled in Holland, where he followed the business of a bookseller, became a celebrated printer, and died April 4, 1726. His descendants long remained in Holland.'

WHALLEY (PETER), an English divine and critic, the son of Richard Whalley, of an ancient Northamptonshire family, was born at Rugby, in the county of War

1 Chaufepie, and references by him, who has given the fullest account yet published of Wetstein.-Saxii Onomast.

wick, Sept. 2, 1722. He was admitted at Merchant-Taylor's-school, London, Jan. 10, 1731, whence, in June 1740, he was elected scholar of St. John's-college, Oxford, and, in 1743, was admitted Fellow. On quitting the university, he became vicar of St. Sepulchre's, Northamptonshire. It was here that he probably laid the foundation of that topographical knowledge which, in 1755, induced a committee of gentlemen of that county to elect him as the proper person to prepare for the press Bridges's and other MSS. for a History of Northamptonshire.

In 1766, he applied to the corporation of London to succeed Dr. Birch in the rectory of St. Margaret Pattens; and in his address to them said, "I have neither curacy nor lectureship, but a small country vicarage, whose clear annual income is under seventy pounds; and which, if I merit your indulgence, will be necessarily void." He obtained this rectory, to which was afterwards added the vicarage of Horley in Surrey, by the governors of Christ'shospital. In January 1768 he took the degree of bachelor of laws, and in October following was chosen master of the grammar-school of Christ's-hospital, which he resigned in 1776; but afterwards accepted that of Saint Olave's, Southwark, and acted as a justice of peace there. It was chiefly at Horley that he employed himself on the History of Northamptonshire; but an unfortunaté derangement in his affairs, and the inattention of the gentlemen of the county, delayed the completion of the publication from 1779, when it was announced to appear, till 1791, in which year, June 12, he died at Ostend, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. Before he went abroad, he received subscriptions, at a guinea each, for a quarto History of the several Royal Hospitals of London. His previous publications were, 1. "An Essay on the method of writing History," London, 1746. 2. "An Inquiry into the learning of Shakspeare, with remarks on several passages of his plays," 1748, 8vo. 3. "A Vindication of the Evidences and Authenticity of the Gospels, from the objections of the late lord Bolingbroke, in his letters on the study of history," 1753, 8vo. 4. "An edition of the Works of Ben. Jonson, with notes," 1756, 7 vols. 8vo. This was long esteemed the best, probably because the most commodious edition; but will now be superseded by that of Mr. Gifford. Mr. Whalley published also a few occasional sermons.

1 Gent. Mag. vol. LXI.-Nichols's Bowyer.

WHARTON (THOMAS, MARQUIS of WHARTON), was eld est son of Philip lord Wharton, who distinguished himself on the side of the parliament during the civil wars, by his second wife, Jane, daughter and heiress of Arthur Goodwyn, of Upper Winchendon, in Buckinghamshire, ́esq, He was born about 1640, and sat in several parliaments during the reigns of Charles II. and James II. in which he appeared in opposition to the court. In 1688, he is supposed to have drawn up the first sketch of the invitation of the prince of Orange to come to England, which, being approved and subscribed by several peers and commoners, was carried over to Holland by the earl, afterwards duke, of Shrewsbury: and joined that prince at Exeter soon after his landing at Torbay. On the advancement of William and Mary to the throne, Mr. Wharton was made comptroller of the household, and sworn of the privy-council Feb. 20, 1689. On the death of his father, he succeeded to the title of lord Wharton, and in April 1697 was made chief justice in Eyre on this side of the Trent, and lordlieutenant of Oxfordshire. In the beginning of 1701, upon the debate in the House of Peers about the address relative to the partition-treaty, his lordship moved an addition to it, to this purpose, that as the French king had broke that treaty, they should advise his majesty to treat no more with him, or rely on his word without further security. And this, though much opposed by all who were against engaging in a new war, was agreed to by the majority of the House.

On the accession of queen Anne, his lordship was removed from his employments, and in December 1702 hẹ was one of the managers for the lords in the conference with the House of Commons relating to the bill against occasional conformity, which he opposed on all occasions with great vigour and address. In April 1705 he attended the queen at Cambridge, when her majesty visited that university, and was admitted, among other persons of rank, to the honorary degree of doctor of laws. In the latter end of that year, his lordship opened the debate in the House of Lords for a regency, in case of the queen's demise, in a manner which was very much admired. He had not been present at the former debate relating to the invitation of the princess Sophia to come over and live in England; but, he said, he was much delighted with what he heard concerning it; since he had ever looked upon