1748, 8vo, fifth edition. 23. "Law Grammar," 1749 and 1754, 12mo. and again in folio, to bind up with the author's Law Dictionary.'

JACOB (HENRY), the founder of the first independent or congregational church in England, was a native of Kent, and received his academical education at St. Mary's hall, Oxford. Having entered into holy orders, he was made precentor of Corpus Christi college, and afterwards obtained the benefice of Cheriton in Kent. In the year 1604 he published "Reasons taken out of God's word, and the best of human testimonies, proving the necessity of reforming our churches of England." The publication of this, and of another work against what was falsely called "learned preaching," would have brought him under ecclesiastical censure if he had not fled to Holland. At Leyden he became a convert to the Brownist principles, since known by the name of Independency. In Holland he published several treatises, and upon his return he avowed a design of setting up a separate congregation upon the model of those in Holland. This, in a short time, he carried into effect, and thus laid the foundation of the first independent congregational church in England. He was elected pastor of the church, and continued with his people till the year 1624, when he went to Virginia, where he soon afterwards died. He was author of many publications which were highly esteemed in his day, particularly, 1. "A treatise of the Sufferings and Victory of Christ in the work of our Redemption, &c. written against certain errors in those points publicly preached in London, 1597," Lond. 1598, 8vo. The points which he endeavours to confute were, 1. That Christ suffered for us the wrath of God, which we may well term the pains of hell. 2. That Christ, after his death on the cross, went not into hell in his soul. 2. "Of the Church and Ministry of England, written in two treatises against the reasons and objections of Mr. Francis Johnson," Middleburg, 1599, 4to. Our author and Mr. Johnson, who was a Brownist, and lived in Holland, had several disputes at Amsterdam about the church of England's being a true church. 3. "Defence of a treatise touching the Sufferings and Victory of Christ in the work of our Redemption," 1600, 4to.

1 Poetical Register.-Biog. Dram.-Bowles's edition of Pope's works, where Jacob has a place, in the Dunciad.Bridgman's Legal Bibliography,

4. "Reasons taken out of God's word," &c. already mentioned, 1604, 4to. 5. "A Position against vain-glorious, and that which is falsely called learned preaching," 1604, 8vo. 6. "The divine beginning and institution of Christ's true, visible, and material Church," Leyden, 1610, 8vo. 7. "Plain and clear Exposition of the Second Commandment," 1610, 8vo. 8. "Declaration and opening of certain points, with a sound confirmation of some others, in a treatise entitled The divine beginning,' &c." Middleburg, 1611. He wrote and published likewise several pieces, as the "Counter-Poison," &c. which being printed privately, or on the continent, are rarely to be met with.1

JACOB (HENRY), son of the preceding, was born either in 1606 or 1607. As his father was warmly attached to puritanical principles, he was sent abroad for education; in the course of which he was put under the tuition of the celebrated Erpenius, professor of Arabic in the university of Leyden, and by the help of strong natural parts, united with a vigorous application, he in a short time made a surprising progress in philological and oriental literature. When he was about twenty-two years of age he returned to England, and was recommended by Mr. William Bedwell, a noted orientalist of that time, to William earl of Pembroke, chancellor of Oxford, as an extraordinary young man, who deserved particular encouragement. Accordingly, that generous nobleman immediately wrote to the university letters in his behalf, requesting that he might be created bachelor of arts; to which degree he was admitted in Jan. 1628-9. In the earl's recommendation, Jacob was described as having profited in oriental learning above the ordinary measures of his age. Soon after he obtained the patronage of John Selden, Henry Briggs, and Peter Turner, and, by their endeavours, was elected probationer fellow of Merton college in 1630. Not, however, being sufficiently skilled in logic and philosophy to carry him through the severe exercises of that society, the warden and fellows tacitly assigned him the situation of philological lecturer. He was then for a while, diverted from his studies by attending to some law-suits concerning his patrimony, at the conclusion of which he fell into a dangerous sickness, and, by the sudden loss of his patron, the earl of Pembroke, his life was in danger. Bishop Laud, that great

Gen. Diet-Ath. Ox. vol. I.-Strype's Life of Whitgift, p. 566.

1

encourager of literature, having succeeded the earl in the chancellorship of Oxford, a way was found out, from Merton college statutes, to make Mr. Jacob Socius Grammaticus, that is, Reader of Philology to the Juniors, a place which had been disused for about a hundred years. Being now completely settled in his fellowship, he occasionally resided with Mr. Selden, and assisted him as an amanuensis in one of the works which he was publishing, and which, we apprehend, must have been the "Mare clausum." Selden, in acknowledging his obligations, styles him, "doctissimus Henricus Jacobus." It is even understood, that Jacob added several things to the book, which Mr. Selden, finding them to be very excellent, permitted to stand. Nay, it is said, that Jacob improved Selden in the Hebrew language. In 1636, Mr. Jacob was created master of arts, and in June 1641, he was elected superior beadle of divinity. At the beginning of the November of the following year, he was admitted to the degree of bachelor of physic: "but his head," says Anthony Wood, being always over-busy about critical notions (which made him sometimes a little better than crazed), he neglected his duty so much, that he was suspended once, if not twice, from his place, and had his beadle's staff taken from him." In consequence of the rebellion, and his attachment to archbishop Laud, he soon became exposed to other calamities. Sir Nathaniel Brent, the republican warden of Merton college, silenced Mr. Jacob as philological lecturer; and at length he was totally deprived of his fellowship by the parliamentary visitors. Being now destitute of a sufficient maintenance, he retired to London, where Mr. Selden assisted him, gave him his clothes, and, among the rest, an old scarlet cloak, the wearing of which rendered poor Jacob an object of mirth to some of his acquaintance, who, when they saw it upon his back, used to call him "Young Selden." "But being," says Wood, " a shiftless person, as most mere scholars are,

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and the benefactions of friends not sufficing him,” he sold a small patrimony which he had at Godmersham in Kent, to supply his necessities, and died before the money was spent. He had brought on a bad habit of body by his close application to his studies. In September 1652, he retired to the city of Canterbury, where he was kindly entertained by Dr. William Jacob, a noted physician of that place; but who, though of the same name, was not

related to our author. By this gentleman he was cured of a gangrene in his foot; but this being followed by a tumour and abscess in one of his legs, the discharge proved too violent for his constitution, and he died Nov. 5, 1652. The next day Dr. Jacob buried him in a manner answerable to his quality, in the parish-church of All Saints in Canterbury. Anthony Wood says, that Mr. Jacob died about the year of his age forty-four. But if the circumstances of his history be carefully compared together, it will be found that he was probably not less than forty-six years old at the time of his decease. As to his character, it appears that he was an innocent, harmless, careless man, who was entirely devoted to the pursuits of literature, and totally ignorant of the world.

From the catalogue of Mr. Jacob's writings here annexed, it will be evident that he was a person of uncommon erudition. "Oratio inauguralis, sub Aditu prælectionis Philologica publicè habita apud Collegium Oxonio-Merton." 4 Aug. 1636. "Græca et Latina Poemata.' Description of Oakley-hole, near Wells," an. 1632, written in English verse. "Annotationes in eam Partem Orationis inaug. in qua dicitur, Oratione soluta scripsit Aristaus Proconnesius." These four pieces were published at Oxford, while the author lived, in 1652, in quarto, by his intimate friend, Henry Birkhead, fellow of All Souls college.

Mr. Jacob's other works, which have never found their way to the press, excepting the "Delphi Phonicizantes," of the credit of which he is said to have been robbed by Dr. Dickinson *, were as follows: "Etymotechnia Catho

In our article of Dickinson we have spoken with hesitation on this subject. We shall, however, subjoin what Anthony Wood says, to which Dr. Kippis, in the new edition of the Biog. Britannica, seems inclined to allow great weight. Wood says, "Before I go any farther, the reader is to understand, that this our author, Jacob, being ejected in 1648, from Merton college, and so consequently from his chamber, wherein he had left a trunk full of books, as well written as printed, Jeft Oxon: and taking no care, or ap. pointing any friend for its security, his chamber-door, before a year was expired, was broke open for a new comer, who finding the trunk there, did let it

remain in its place for a time. At length, when no man inquired after it, as the then possessor thereof pretended, he secured it for his own use, broke it open, and therein discovered a choice treasure of books: one of them, being a manuscript, and fit for the press, he (viz. Dr. Dickinson) disguised, and altered it with another style; and at length, after he had learned Hebrew, and the Oriental languages, to blind the world, and had conversed openly with those most excellent in them, as Pocock and Bogan, of Corpus Christi college, and any Grecian or Jew that came accidentally to the university, he published it under this title, " DelphiPhonicizantes," &c.

lica," containing four diatribes concerning the original of letters. The first, "De Ordine Alphabeti ;" the second, "De Transitu Alphabeti ;" the third, "De Numero, Figura, Potestate et Divisione Literarum ;" and the fourth called "Geographistor Etymotechnicus." "Grammatica Ebræa." "EB, vel Osiris inventus; de Coptiatis Originibus Commentatio.-Geographumena," in which are many Assyriac and Egyptic antiquities discovered." Pancarpia, opus ex artibus et linguis miscellan." imperfect. Magnetologia, in lib. 3, agentibus de triplici Motu Magnetico, Lapidali, Cœlesti et Animali," &c. "De Mari rubro," and another, "De Historia Beli et Draconis." "Libri Ebræo Rabbinici in Bib. Bodleiana recensiti," an. 1629,1

JACOB (BEN HAJIM), was a rabbi of the sixteenth century, who rendered himself famous by the collection of the Masora, which was printed at Venice in 1525 with the text of the Bible, the Chaldee paraphrase, and the commentaries of some rabbies upon Scripture. This edition of the Hebrew Bible, and those which follow it with the great and small Masora compiled by this rabbi, are much esteemed by the Jews; there being nothing before exact or accurate upon the Masora, which is properly a critique upon the books of the Bible, in order to settle the true reading. In the preface to his great Masora he shews the usefulness of his work, and explains the keri and ketib, or the different readings of the Hebrew text: he puts the various readings in the margin, because there are just doubts concerning the true reading; he observes also, that the Talmudish Jews do not always agree with the authors of the Masora. Besides the various readings collected by the Masorets, and put by this rabbi in the margin of his Bible, he collected others himself from the MS copies, which must be carefully distinguished from the Masora.*

JACOB (LEWIS), an industrious French author and bibliographer, was born at Chalons sur Saone, Aug. 20, 1608. He was educated among the Carmelites, and entered into that order in 1625, and, during his studies, the distinguished progress he made in theology and the belles lettres, procured him easy access to the libraries and the collections of literary men of eminence, who con

VOL. XVIII,

1 Ath. Ox.-Biog. Brit. art. Dickinson.

2 Moreri.Simon's Crit. Dict.

FF