In October 1456, he was appointed lord high chancellor in the room of Bourchier, archbishop of Canterbury; and the following year he sat in judgment with the archbishop and other prelates, upon Dr. Reginald Pecocke, bishop of Chichester, who had advanced some doctrines contrary to the prevailing religious opinions. On this occasion the court was unanimous in enjoining Pecocke to a solemn recantation, and confinement to his house; his writings also were ordered to be burnt; but the archbishop, according to Mr. Lewis's account, took a far more active share in this business than the chancellor.

...

Waynflete resigned the office of chancellor in the month of July 1460, about which time he accompanied the king to Northampton, and was with him a few days before the fatal battle near that place, in which the royal army was defeated. Waynflete's attachment to Henry's cause had been uniform and decided, yet his high character and talents appear to have protected him. Edward IV, treated him not only with respect, but with some degree of magDanimity, as he twice issued a special pardon in his favour, and condescended to visit his newly-founded college at Oxford, a favour which to Waynflete, embarked in a work which required royal patronage, must have been highly gratifying. The remainder of his life appears to have been free from political interference or danger, and he lived to see the quiet union of the houses of York and Lancaster, in the marriage of Henry VII. with Elizabeth of York. Besides his other preferments, he is said to have been chancellor of the university of Oxford; but his name no where occurs in Wood's copious and accurate account of the persons who filled that office.

He died of a short but violent illness in the afternoon of Aug. 11, 1486, and was interred, with great funeral pomp, in Winchester cathedral, in a magnificent sepulchral chapel, which is kept in the finest preservation by the society of Magdalen-college. In his will he bequeathed legacies to all his servants, to all the religious of both sexes in Winchester, to all the clergy in that city, and to every fellow and scholar in Wykeham's two colleges and his own.

His biographers have celebrated his piety, temper, and humanity. Besides the foundation of Magdalen-college, of which an ample detail is given in our authorities, he established a free-school in his native town, and was a benefactor to Eton college, Winchester cathedral, and other VOL. XXXI. S

places. In these labours, while his munificent spirit induced him to hire the ablest artists, he displayed himself very considerable talents as an architect. Leland was informed that the greatest part of the buildings of Eton college were raised under his direction, and at his expence. In 1478 we find him overseer of the buildings at Windsor, an office formerly held by his great predecessor Wykeham, and it was from that place he sent workmen to complete the Divinity-school of Oxford.'

WEAVER. See WEEVER.

WEBB (PHILIP CARTERET), a distinguished antiquary, born in 1700, was regularly bred to the profession of the law and was admitted an attorney before Mr. Justice Price, June 20, 1724: he lived then in the Old Jewry, but afterwards removed to Budge-row, and thence to Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-Inn fields. He was peculiarly learned in the records of this kingdom, and particularly able as a parliamentary and constitutional lawyer. In 1747, he published" Observations on the Course of Proceedings in the Admiralty-courts," 8vo. In 1751 he assisted materially in obtaining the charter of incorporation for the Society of Antiquaries, remitting in that business the customary fees which were due to him as a solicitor; and on many other occasions proved himself a very useful member of that learned body. Purchasing a house and estate at Busbridge, Surrey, where he resided in the summer, it gave him an influence in the borough of Haslemere, for which he was chosen member in 1754, and again in 1761, He became, under the patronage of lord chancellor Hardwicke, secretary of bankrupts in the Court of Chancery, and was appointed one of the joint solicitors of the treasury in 1756. In July 1758, he obtained a silver medal from the Society of Arts for having planted a large quantity of acorns for timber. In 1760 he had the honour of presenting the famous Heraclean table to the king of Spain, by the hands of the Neapolitan minister, from whom he received in return (in November that year) a diamond-ring, worth 300%. In April 1763, the period of Mr. Wilkes's being apprehended for writing "The North Briton," No. 45, Mr. Webb became officially a principal actor in that memorable prosecution, but did not altogether approve of

Chandler's Life of Waynflete.-Wood's Colleges and Halls.-Chalmers's Hist. of Oxford.

the severity with which it was carried on; and printed, on that occasion, "A Collection of Records about General Warrants;" and also "Observations upon discharging Mr. Wilkes from the Tower." He held the office of solicitor to the Treasury till June 1765, and continued secretary of bankrupts till lord Northington quitted the seals in 1766. He died at Busbridge, June 22, 1770, aged seventy; and his library (including that of John Godfrey *, esq. which he had purchased entire) was sold, with his MSS. on vellum, Feb. 25, and the sixteen following days, 1771. A little before his death he sold to the House of Peers thirty MS volumes of the rolls of parliament. His MSS on paper were sold, by his widow and executrix, to the late marquis of Lansdowne, and are now in the British Museum. The coins and medals were sold by auction the same year, three days sale; in which were all the coins and medals found in his collection at the time of his decease; but he had disposed of the most valuable part to different persons. The series of large brass had been picked by a nobleman. The noble series of Roman gold (among which were Pompey, Lepidus, &c.) and the collection of Greek kings and towns, had been sold to Mr. Duane, and afterwards formed part of the valuable museum collected by the late Dr. Hunter. The ancient marble busts, bronzes, Roman earthen-ware, gems, seals, &c. of which there were 96 lots, were sold in the above year. On the death of the late Mrs. Webb, the remainder of the curiosities was sold by Mr. Langford. Mr. Webb's publications were, 1. "A Letter to the Rev. Mr. William Warburton, M. A. occasioned by some passages in his book, entitled The Divine Legation of Moses demonstrated.' By a gentleman of Lincoln's Inn," 1742, 8vo. 2. "Remarks on the Pretender's Declaration and Commission," 1745, 8vo. 3. "Remarks on the Pretender's eldest Son's second Declaration, dated the 10th of October 1745, by the author of the Remarks on his first Declaration," 1745, 8vo. Of these

*Son of Benjamin Godfrey, esq. of Norton-court, near Faversham in Kent, whom he succeeded in that estate. He was very corpulent, through indolence or inactivity, and a great epicure, which shortened his life about. 1741. Mr. Godfrey (who was related to sir Edmondbury) was a person of learning, and had a good collection

of antiquities; and also of coins and medals, which, after his death, were sold by auction. His library (containing 1200 valuable volumes) was bought for about 1007. by T. Osborne, who sold the whole again to Mr. Webb before it was unpacked. Of Mr. Johu Godfrey and his lady, good portraits are in the possession of Mr. Nichols.

6.

10.

"Remarks" a second edition was published the same year. 4. "Excerpta ex Instrumentis publicis de Judæis," consisting of seven pages small 4to. 5. Short, but true, State of facts relative to the Jew-Bill, submitted to the consideration of the Public," three pages small 4to. "Five plates of Records relating to the Jews, engraven at the expence of Philip Carteret Webb, esq.' 7. "The Question whether a Jew born within the British dominions was, before the making the late Act of Parliament, a Person capable by Law to purchase and hold Lands to him and his heirs, fairly stated and considered. To which is annexed an Appendix, containing copies of public records relating to the Jews, and to the plates of Records, by a gentleman of Lincoln's Inn," 1753, 4to. Printed for Roberts, price 2s. 6d. "A Reply" to this, in the same size and at the same price, written, as it is supposed, by Mr. Grove, author of the Life of cardinal Wolsey, was printed for Robinson, Woodyer, and Swan. 8. "A short Account of some particulars concerning Domesday- Book, with a view to promote its being published," 1756, 4to. 9. "A short Account of Danegeld, with some farther particulars relating to William the Conqueror's Survey," 1758, 4to. "A State of Facts, in defence of his Majesty's right to certain Fee-farm rents in the county of Norfolk," 1758, 4to. 11. "An Account of a Copper Table, containing two inscriptions in the Greek and Latin tongues; discovered in the year 1732, near Heraclea, in the Bay of Tarentum, in Magna Grecia. By Philip Carteret Webb, Esq. Read at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries the 13th of December, 1759, and ordered to be printed," 1760, 4to. 12. "Some Observations on the late determination for discharging Mr. Wilkes from his commitment to the Tower of London, for being the author and publisher of a seditious libel called The North Briton, No. 45.' By a member of the House of Commons," 1763, 4to. He also printed a quarto pamphlet, containing a number of general warrants issued from the time of the Revolution; and some other political tracts, particularly at the time of the rebellion in 1745, on the close of which his abilities, as solicitor on the trials in Scotland, proved of eminent service to the public. Mr. Webb was twice married; and by his first lady (who died in March 12, 1756) left one son of his own name. His second wife was Rhoda, daughter of John Cotes, esq. of Dodington, in Cheshire, by Rhoda, one of

6

the daughters and coheirs of sir John Huborn, bart. of Warwickshire; but by her he had no issue.'

"

WEBBE (GEORGE), a pious prelate, the son of a clergyman at Bromham in Wiltshire, was born there in 1581, and was entered first of University-college, Oxford, in 1598; but became the same year a scholar of Corpus-college. Here he took his degrees in arts, entered into holy orders, and was made minister of Steeple Aston in Wiltshire, where he also kept a grammar-school, as he afterwards did at Bath. In 1621 he was inducted to the rectory of St. Peter and St. Paul in Bath, being then bachelor in divinity. In 1624 he proceeded D. D. On the accession of Charles I. he was made one of his chaplains in ordinary, and in 1629 baptised his majesty's first child, which died immediately after. He was consecrated bishop of Limerick, in Ireland, in December 1634. Before his death he was confined by the rebels in Limerick castle, where he died in the latter end of 1641, and was permitted by them to be buried in St. Munchin's church-yard in Limerick. "He was a person of a strict life and conversation," and esteemed the best preacher at the court of king Charles; and his published compositions are in a more pure and elegant style than those of most of his contemporaries. His principal work is his "Practice of Quietness, directing a Christian to live quietly in this troublesome world." We have not discovered when this was first published, but it had reached a third edition in 1631, and was afterwards often reprinted. The best edition is that of 1705, cr. 8vo, with his portrait and an engraved title-page. It is a work which gives a high idea of the author's placid temper and pious resignation, amidst the confusions he lived to witness. His other publications are, 1. "A brief exposition of the principles of the Christian religion," Lond. 1612, Svo. 2. "Arraignment of an unruly tongue, wherein the faults of an evil tongue are opened, the danger discovered, and remedies prescribed, &c." ibid. 1619, 12mo. 3. "Agur's prayer, or the Christian choice, &c." ibid. 1621, 12mo. 4. "Catalogus protestantium: or the Protestant's Calendar; containing a survey of the protestant religion long. before Luther's days," ibid. 1624, 4to. 5. "Lessons and exercises out of Cicero ad Atticum," 1627, 4to. He published also some other books for grammar-schools, a Latin

1 Nichols's Bowyer.