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"fices" "The Foundation of Ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction,
"and as it regards the Legal Supremacy" "The grand
"queftion concerning the Bishops' right to vote in Par-
"liament in Cafes Capital;" "Two Speeches in Parlia-
"ment;""Of the true Antiquity of London ;" "Con-
"cerning the unreasonableness of a new Separation, on
account of the Oaths to King William and Queen
"Mary;
"A Vindication of their Majefties Authori-
"ties to fill the Sees of Deprived Bishops;" " An Anfwer
"to the Paper delivered by Mr. Ashton, at his execution,
"to Sir Francis Child, Sheriff of London, with the Paper
"itself." The fourth, fifth, and fixth volumes contain
pieces, written againft the Church of Rome, in contro-
verfy with Creffy, Sargeant, and other Popish advocates.
Now follows the infcription:

by Nichols, P. 300.

"H. S. E.

Edvardus Stillingfleet, S. T. P.
Ex Decano Ecclefiæ Pauline Epifcopus
Vigornienfis,

Jam tibi, quicunque hæc legis,
Nifi & Europe & literatiorbis hofpes es,
Ipfe per fe notus:

Dum rebus mortalibus interfuit,
Et fanctitate morum, & oris ftaturæque
dignitate,

Et confummatæ eruditioni laude
Undique venerandus.
Cui in humanioribus literis Critici, in
Divinis Theologi,
In recondita Hiftoria Antiquarii, in
Scientiis Philofophi,
In legum peritia Jurifconfulti, in civili
prudentia Politici,

In Eloquentia Univerfi,
Fafces ultro fubmiferunt.
Major unus in his omnibus, quam alii
in fiugulis:

Ut Bibliothecam fuam, cui parem
Orbis vix habuit,
Intra pectus omnis doctrinæ capax
Geftaffe integram vifus fit;

Quæ tamen nullos libros moverat

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much defired

Anecdotes STILLINGFLEET (BENJAMIN, efq.) of Bowyer, fon to the bishop of Worcester, and equally as.a. naturalift and a poet, the rare union by the ingenious Mr. Aikin. Both the bishop and our author's father were fellows of St. John's-college in Cambridge. The latter was alfo F. R. S. M. D. and Gresham profeffor. of phyfic; but, marrying in 1692, loft his lucrative offices, and the bifhop's favour; a misfortune that affected both him and his pofterity. He took orders however,

however, and obtained, by his father's patronage, the rectory of Newington Butts, which he immediately exchanged for thofe of Wood-Norton and Swanton in Norfolk. He died in 1708. Benjamin, his only fon, was educated at Norwich fchool, which he left in 1720, with the character of an excellent fcholar. He then went to Trinity-college, Cambridge, at the request of Dr. Bentley, the mafter, who had been private tutor to his father, domeftic chaplain to his grandfather, and was much indebted to the family. Here he was admitted April 14, 1720; took the degree of B. A. and became a candidate for a fellowship; but was rejected, by the master's influence. This was a fevere and unexpected difappointment; and but little alleviated afterwards by the doctor's apology, that it was a pity that a gentleman of Mr. Stillingfleet's parts fhould be buried within the walls of a college. Perhaps, however, this ingratitude of Dr. Bentley was not of any real differvice to Mr. Stillingfleet. He travelled into Italy; and, by being thrown into the world, formed many honourable and valuable connexions. The prefent lord Barrington gave him, in a very polite manner, the place of mafter of the barracks at Kenfington; a favour to which Mr. Stillingfleet, in the dedication of his "Calendar of Flora" to that nobleman, 1761, alludes with great politenefs, as well as the warmeft gratitude. His "Calendar" was fromed at Stratton in Norfolk, in 1755, at the hofpitable feat of Mr. Marsham,. who had made feveral remarks of that kind, and had communicated to the public his curious" Obfervations on the "Growth of Trees." But it was to Mr. Wyndham, of Felbrig in Norfolk, that he appears to have had the greateft obligations. He travelled abroad with him; fpent much of his time at his houfe; and was appointed one of his executors; with a confiderable addition to an annuity which that gentleman had fettled upon him in his lifetime. Mr. Stillingfleet's genius led him principally to the study of history, which he profecuted as an ingenious philofopher, an ufeful citizen, and a good man. Mr. Gray makes the following favourable mention of him, in one of his letters, dated from London, in 1761: "I have lately made an acquaintance with this philofopher, "who lives in a garret in the winter, that he may fupport fome near relations who depend upon him. He "is always employed, confequently (according to my old maxim) always happy, always chearful, and feems to

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me a worthy honeft man. His prefent fcheme is to "fend fome perfons, properly qualified, to refide a year "or two in Attica, to make themselves acquainted with "the climate, productions, and natural y of the "country, that we may understand Ariftotle, Theophraftus, &c. who have been Heathen Greek to us for "fo many ages; and this he has got propofed to ford "Bute, no unlikely perfon to put it in execution, as he "is himself a botanist." An epiftle by Mr. Stillingfleet, in 1723, is printed in the "Poetical Magazine, 1764,' p. 224. He publifhed, about 1733, an anonymous pamphlet, intituled, "Some Thoughts concerning Happi

nefs;" and in 1759 appeared a volume of "Mifcel"laneous Tracts," chiefly tranflated from effays in the "Amoenitates Academica," publifhed by Linnæus, inter fperfed with fome obfervations and additions of his own. In this volume he fhews a tafte for claffical learning, and entertains us with fome elegant poetical effufions. He annexed to it fome valuable "Obfervations on Graffes," and dedicated the whole to George Lord Lyttelton. A fecond edition of it appeared in 1762; a third in 1775. Mr. Stillingfleet likewife published "Some Thoughts oc "cafioned by the late Earthquakes, 1750," a poem in 4to; "Paradife Loft," an Oratorio, fet to Mufic by Stanley, 1760, 4to; "The Honour and Difhonour of "Agriculture, tranflated from the Spanish, 1760," 8vo; and Principles and Powers of Harmony, 1771," 4to. a very learned work, built on Tartini's" Trattato di Mufica "fecondo la vera fcienza dell' Armonia.” Thefe, and his "Effay on Converfation, 1757," in the firft volume of Dodfley's Collection of Poems, entitle him to no small degree of rank among our Englifh polite writers. The

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Effay" is addreffed to Mr. Wyndham with all that warmth of friendship which diftinguishes the author. As it is chiefly didactic, it does not admit of fo many ornaments as fome compofitions of other kinds. However, it contains much good fenfe, fhews a confiderable knowledge of mankind, and has feveral paffages that, in point of harmony and eafy verfification, would not difgrace the writings of our moft admired poets. Here more than once Mr. Stillingfleet fhews himself ftill fore from Dr. Bentley's cruel treatment of him; and towards the beautiful and moral clofe of this poem (where he gives us a fketch of himself) feems to hint at a mortification of a more delicate nature, which he is faid to have fuffered

from

from the other fex. This too may perhaps account for the afperity with which he treats the ladies in the " Verses" printed in the fixth volume of the "Select Collection of

Poems, 1781." To thefe difappointments it was perhaps owing that Mr. Stillingfleet neither married, nor went into orders. His London refidence was at a fadler's in Piccadilly, where he died a bachelor, Dec. 15, 1771, aged 69, leaving feveral valuable papers behind him. To thefe Mr. Pennant alludes in a beautiful elogium on him, prefixed to the fourth volume of the "British Zoology," when he fays, "I received the unfinished tokens of his "regard by virtue of his promife; the only papers that "were refcued from the flames to which his modefty had

devoted all the reft." He was buried in St. James's church, without any monument. A good portrait [A] of him has been engraved by Val. Green, from an original by Zoffanij in the poffeffion of Mr. Torriano. Mr. Stillingfleet's eldeft fifter, Elizabeth, was married to Mr. Locker, of whom we have already given fome memoirs. Mr. Stillingfleet had ordered all his papers to be deftroyed at his death, poffibly not chufing any thing of his might be published afterwards. He had, however, printed in 8vo. 18 copies of the following Oratorios: 1. "" Jofeph." This drama, he obferves, appearing to be unfit for the ftage, was not filled up with the number of fongs neceffary to give it a proper length of time for performing. 2. " Mofes and Zipporah." The plan of this drama was firft thought of and laid Feb. 9, 1760, at night; and the recitative was finished. on Thursday 14th following, at II at night. fongs were begun Monday 18th following, and finished on the Thurfday following, all but the first fong in the third act. 3. "David and Bathsheba." The first sketch was begun Jan. 9, 1758; ended Jan. 12, fongs and all and not much altered afterwards. Finished June 6, 1758. 4. "Medea." Begun March 8, at 10 at night; finished March 20, at 10 in the morning, the fame year, fongs and all; nearly the fame as in this [printed] book. Without fongs it was finished March. at 1 in the morning. These memoranda are from his own hand-writing; as is the following new fong, intended to take place of one before written for " Medea :"

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"BENJAMIN STILLINGFLEET, Efq.
"To revive in their memories the image of fo worthy a man,
65 many of these Prints have been diftributed among his Friends.
"Multis ille benis flebilis occidit."

The

"Difinal

Fabric.Bibl.
Græc.
V. viii.

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STOBEUS (JOANNES), an ancient Greek writer, lived in the fifth century, as is generally fuppofed; for nothing certain is known, and therefore nothing can be affirmed, of him. What remains of him is a collection of extracts from ancient poets and philofophers: yet this collection is not come down to us entire; and even what we have of it appears to be intermixed with the additions of those who lived after him. Thefe extracts, though they give us no greater idea of Stobæus than that of a common-place tranfcriber, are yet curious and useful, as they prefent us with many things of various kinds, which are to be found no where elfe; and, as fuch, have always been highly valued by the learned. It appears beyond difpute, in Fabricius's opinion, that Stobæus was not a Chriftian, because he never meddled with Chriftian writers, nor made the least use of them, in any of his collections. The "Excerpta of Sto"bæus" were first published in Greek at Venice in 1536, and dedicated to Bembus, who was then the curátor of St. Mark's library there, and furnished the manufcript: but they have been often published fince from better manufcripts, with Latin verfions and notes by Gefner, Grotrus, and other learned men; particularly at Paris 1623, in 4to.

STONE (JOHN) an English painter, was an extraordinary copier in the reigns of Charles I, and II. He was bred up under Crofs; and took several admirable copies, after many good pictures in England. His copies were reckoned the fineft of any that had been then done in this nation. He did alfo fome imitations after fuch mafters as he more particularly fancied; which performances of his were in good repute, and received into the beft collections. He spent thirty-feven years abroad in the study of his art, where he improved himfelf in feveral languages, being befides a man of fome learning. He died in London Aug. 24, 1653.

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