M. A. and minister of the gospel at Beeby in Leicester shire," London, 1658. He was of Trinity-college, Oxford, B. A. 1653, M. A. 1657, but is not mentioned by Wood. The work which now preserves his name is his "Wonders of the Little World," 1678, fol. a work to be classed with Clark's "Examples," 2 vols. fol. or Turner's "Remarkable Providences," containing a vast assemblage of remarkable anecdotes, &c. many of which keep credulity on the stretch. As these were collected by Mr. Wanley from a number of old books, little known, or read, it is not improbable that such researches imparted to his son that taste for bibliographical studies which occupied his whole life. At least it is certain that Humphrey, (who was born at Coventry, March 21, 1671-2, and was bred first a limner, and afterwards some other trade), employed all his leisure time, at a very early period, in reading old books and old MSS. and copying the various hands, by which he acquired an uncommon faculty in verifying dates. Dr. Lloyd, then bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, sent him to Edmund-hall, Oxford, of which Dr. Mill was then principal, whom he greatly assisted in his collations of the New Testament. Hearne says, that during his stay in this hall, he attended but one lecture, which was in logic, which he swore he could not comprehend. Dr. Charlett, master of University-college, hearing of Wanley's attention to matters of antiquity, induced him to remove to his own college, which he soon did, residing at the master's'lodgings, who, says Hearne, "employed him in writing trivial things, so that he got no true learning." He certainly acquired. the learned languages, however, although it does not appear that he attended much to the usual course of academic studies, or was ambitious of academic honours, as his name does not appear in the list of graduates. By Dr. Charlett's means he was appointed an under-keeper of the Bodleian library, where he assisted in drawing up the indexes to the catalogue of MSS. the Latin preface to which he also wrote. Upon leaving Oxford, he removed to London, and became secretary to the society for propagating Christian knowledge; and at Dr. Hickes's request, travelled over the kingdom, in search of Anglo-Saxon MSS. a catalogue of which he drew up in English, which was afterwards translated into Latin by the care of Mr. Thwaites, and printed in the "Thesaurus Ling. Vet. Septen." Oxon. 1705, fol. He was soon after employed in arranging the

valuable collections of Robert earl of Oxford, with the appointment of librarian to his lordship. In this employment he gave such particular satisfaction, that he was allowed a handsome pension by lord Harley, the earl's eldest son, and successor in the title, who retained him as librarian till his death. In Mr. Wanley's Harleian Journal, preserved among the Lansdowne MSS. in the British Museum, are several remarkable entries, as will appear by the specimens transcribed below *.

Mr. Wanley remained in this situation until his death, which happened July 6, 1726, and was occasioned by a dropsy. He was twice married, first to a widow, with several children; the second time, only a fortnight before his death, to a very young woman, to whom he left his property, which was considerable.

About 1708, he first began to compile the catalogue of lord Oxford's MSS. and proceeded as far as No. 2407 of the present printed catalogue. Throughout the whole, he shews great learning and judgment, and his strictures are so just, that there is much reason to lament his not having. lived to put the finishing hand to a work, for which he was in every respect so well qualified. This, which was said of Wanley, in the preface to the first edition of the printed catalogue in 1762, may still be repeated, without any disrespect to his successors, because it is to be feared that much useful information was lost by his death.

*This journal, which begius in March 1714-15, and is regularly continued till within a fortnight of his death, is kept with all the dignity as well as the exactness of the minutes of a public body. For instance, "March 2, 1714-15, present, my lord Harley and myself. The secretary related, that the reverend and learned Mr. Elstob deceased some time since; and that he having seen Mrs. Elstob his sister, and making mention of the two MSS. which Mr. Elstob had borrowed from the library (being $4. A. 16. and 42 A. 12.), she said, she would take alt due care to see them restored.-My lord Harley expressing some compassion on the unexpected decease of Mr. Urry of Christ-church, the secretary shewed that two MSS. borrowed for his use by the present bishop of Rochester (Dr. Atterbury), while dean of Christchurch, are not yet restored; and that

he had a note under the bishop's hand for the same: My lord undertook to manage this matter."—" July 21, 1722. This day it pleased the most illustrious and high-born lady, the lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles Harley, to add to her former bounties to me, particularly to a large silver tea-pot formerly given to me by her noble ladyship, by sending hither (to this library) her silversmith with a fine and large silver tea-kettle, lamp and plate, and a neat wooden stand: as in all duty and gratitude bound, I shail never cease from praying Almighty God to bless her and all this noble family with all blessings temporal and eternal."" August 4, 1725, Mr. Pope came, and I sbewed him but few things, it being late."There are many more, and some very curious, extracts, from this journal in Mr. Nichols's " Literary Anecdotes."

Besides these labours, Wanley published a translation of Ostervald's "Grounds and principles of the Christian religion, explained in a catechetical discourse for the instruction of young people." This was revised by Dr. Stanhope, and printed at London, 1704, 8vo. Hearne, who seems to have had a pique at Wanley, represents him as an unsteady, capricious man; and of this there are some evidences in his own journal. Hearne likewise asserts that he was imprudent and dissipated, but for this we have no other proof, and if he left considerable property, he had not been unwise in that respect. There is an original picture of him in the Bodleian library; another, half-length, sitting, in the possession of the Society of Antiquaries. A mezzotinto print of him was scraped by Smith, in 1718, from a painting by Hill,'

WANSLEB (JOHN MICHAEL), a learned German, was born in 1635, at Erfort, in Thuringia, where his father was minister of a Lutheran church. After having studied philosophy and theology at Konigsberg, he put himself under Job Ludolf, in order to learn the Oriental tongues of that celebrated professor. Ludolf taught him the Ethiopic among others; and then sent him at his own expence into England to print his "Ethiopic Dictionary," which camé out at London in 1661. Ludolf complained of Wansleb for inserting many false and ridiculous things, and afterwards gave a new edition of it himself. Dr. Edmund Castell was at that time employed upon his "Lexicon Heptaglotton," and was much gratified to find in Wansleb a man who could assist him in his laborious undertaking; he received him therefore into his house, and kept him three months. Wansleb was no sooner returned to Germany, than Ernest the pious, duke of Saxe-Gotha, being informed of his qualifications, sent him to Ethiopia: the prince's design was, to establish a correspondence between the Protestant Europeans and Abyssines, with a view to promote true religion among the latter. Wansleb set out in June 1663, and arrived at Cairo in Jan. following. He employed the remainder of the year in visiting part of Egypt; but the patriarch of Alexandria, who has jurisdiction over the churches of Ethiopia, dissuaded him from proceeding to that kingdom, and sent his reasons to Ernest in an Arabic

Nichols's Bowyer.-Letters from Eminent Persons, 1813, 3 vols. Svo.Preface to the Harleian Catalogue.-Dibdin's Bibliomania.

letter, which is still extant in the library of the duke of Saxe-Gotha.

Wansleb left Alexandria in the beginning of 1665, and arrived at Leghorn; but durst not return to his own country, because duke Ernest was greatly displeased with his conduct, in neglecting the chief object of his embassy, and employing in an improper manner the sums he had received. He went therefore to Rome, where he abjured Lutheranism, and entered into the order of St. Dominic in 1666. In 1670, he was sent to Paris, where being introduced to Colbert, he was commissioned by that minister to return to the East, and to purchase manuscripts and medals for the king's library. He arrived at Cairo in 1672, continued in Egypt near two years, and in that time sent to France 334 manuscripts, Arabic, Turkish, and Persic. The Mahometans growing jealous of this commerce which Wansleb carried on, he removed from Egypt to Constantinople, and had promised to go from that place in search of manuscripts to mount Athos; but excused himself on pretence that Leo Allatius had taken, away the best for the use of the Vatican. He was preparing to set out for Ethiopia, when he was recalled to France by Colbert; who, it seems, had just reason to be displeased with his conduct, as Ernest had been before him. He arrived at Paris in April 1676, and might have been advanced not only to the royal professorship of Oriental languages, but even to a bishopric, if his irregular life and manners had not stood in his way. He lived neglected for two or three years, and then died in June 1679.

His publications are, 1. "Relazione dello stato presente dell' Egitto, 1671," 12mo. This is said to be an abridged account of Egypt, which had been sent by him in several letters to duke Ernest; and Ludolf has related, that the Jacobines, whom he employed to translate it into Italian, have deviated from the original in several places. 2. "Nouvelle Relation en forme de Journal d'un Voyage fait en Egypte en 1672 et 1673," 1676, 12mo. 3. "Histoire de l'Eglise d'Alexandrie fondée par S. Marc, que nous appellons celles des Jacobites - Coptes d'Egypte, écrite au Caire même en 1672 et 1673. 1677," 12mo.

1

WARBURTON (JOHN), a heraldic writer and antiquary, was the son of Benjamin Warburton, of Bury in Lancashire,

Niceron, vol. XXVI.-Lobo's Voyage D'Abyss. vol. I.-Mosheim.Moreri.

by Mary, his wife, eldest daughter, and at length heiress of Michael Buxton, of Buxton, in Derbyshire. He was born Feb. 28, 1681-2. According to Mr. Grose, he received no education, and was originally an exciseman; Mr. Grose adds that he was ignorant not only of the Latin, but of his native language, and so far from understanding mathematics, he did not even understand guaging, which, “like navigation, as practised by our ordinary seamen, consists only in multiplying and dividing certain numbers, or writing by an instrument, the rationale of both which they are totally ignorant of." It appears from Mr. Brooke Somerset's notes, that Toms, who owed his rise to him, told that gentleman that he had great natural abilities, but no education. Grose observes, that "his life was one continued scene of squabbles and disputes with his brethren, by whom he was despised and detested." Toms remarks, that "though his conduct was faulty, yet he was extremely illused, especially by the younger Anstis, who was of a violent tyrannical disposition," and there seems reason to suspect that his quarrelsome disposition, rather than his incapacity, has occasioned many of the discreditable reports which have accompanied his name. As a collector of an

tiquities he appears to have been indefatigable.

In

The first appearance he made in public was in 1716, when he published his map of Northumberland. In 1719 he was elected a fellow both of the Royal and Antiquary societies, and could not then, we presume, have been thought the ignoramus which he has since been represented. He remained a member of the Society of Antiquaries to the last, but was ejected from the Royal in June 1757, in consequence of not having made his annual payments for a great number of years. In June 1720 he was created Somerset herald, and appears to have been constantly at variance with the superiors of the college. 1722-3 he published in four closely printed 4to pages, "A List of the Nobility and Gentry of the counties of Middlesex, Essex, and Hertford, who have subscribed, and ordered their coats of arms to be inscribed on a new map of those counties, which is now making by John Warburton, esq." In August 1728, he gave notice, that "he keeps a register of lands, houses, &c. which are to be bought, sold, or mortgaged, in England, Scotland, or Wales, and if required, directs surveys thereof to be made: also solicits grants of arms, and performs all other matters relating