PRESCOTT, WILLIAM HICKLING (1796-1859).--Historian, _b._ at Salem,

Massachusetts, the _s._ of an eminent lawyer, was _ed._ at Harvard, where

he graduated in 1814. While there he met with an accident to one of his

eyes which seriously affected his sight for the remainder of his life. He

made an extended tour in Europe, and on his return to America he _m._,

and abandoning the idea of a legal career, resolved to devote himself to

literature. After ten years of study, he _pub._ in 1837 his _History of

Ferdinand and Isabella_, which at once gained for him a high place among

historians. It was followed in 1843 by the _History of the Conquest of

Mexico_, and in 1847 by the _Conquest of Peru_. His last work was the

_History of Philip II._, of which the third vol. appeared in 1858, and

which was left unfinished. In that year he had an apoplectic shock, and

another in 1859 was the cause of his death, which took place on January

28 in the last-named year. In all his works he displayed great research,

impartiality, and an admirable narrative power. The great disadvantage at

which, owing to his very imperfect vision, he worked, makes the first of

these qualities specially remarkable, for his authorities in a foreign

tongue were read to him, while he had to write on a frame for the blind.

P. was a man of amiable and benevolent character, and enjoyed the

friendship of many of the most distinguished men in Europe as well as in

America.

PRICE, RICHARD (1723-1791).--Writer on morals, politics, and economics,

_s._ of a dissenting minister, was _b._ at Tynton in Wales, _ed._ at a

dissenting coll. in London, and was then for some years chaplain to a Mr.

Streatfield, who left him some property. Thereafter he officiated as

minister to various congregations near London. In 1758 his _Review of the

Principal Questions and Difficulties in Morals_, a work of considerable

metaphysical power, appeared; and it was followed in 1766 by a treatise

on _The Importance of Christianity_. In 1769 his work on _Reversionary

Payments_ was _pub._, and his Northampton Mortality Table was about the

same time constructed. These, though long superseded, were in their day

most valuable contributions to economical science. His most popular work,

_Observations on Civil Liberty and the Justice and Policy of the War with

America_, appeared in 1776, had an enormous sale, and led to his being

invited to go to America and assist in establishing the financial system

of the new Government. This he declined chiefly on the score of age.

Simplicity, uprightness, and toleration of opinions opposed to his own

appear to have been marked traits in his character.

PRIDEAUX, HUMPHREY (1648-1724).--Divine and scholar, belonged to an

ancient Cornish family, was _b._ at Padstow, and _ed._ at Westminster

School and at Oxf. He first attracted notice by his description of the

Arundel Marbles (1676), which gained for him powerful patrons, and he

rose to be Dean of Norwich. Among his other works are a _Life of Mahomet_

(1697), and _The Old and New Testament connected in the History of the

Jews and Neighbouring Nations_ (1715-17), long an important work, of

which many ed. were brought out.

PRIESTLY, JOSEPH (1733-1804).--Chemist, theologian, and political writer,

_s._ of a draper at Fieldhead, Yorkshire, where he was _b._ Brought up as

a Calvinist, he gradually became a modified Unitarian, and after

attending a dissenting academy at Daventry, he became minister to various

congregations. About 1756 he _pub._ _The Scripture Doctrine of

Remission_, denying the doctrine of atonement, and in 1761 succeeded Dr.

Aiken as teacher of languages and _belles-lettres_ in the dissenting

academy at Warrington. About the same time he became acquainted with

Franklin and Dr. Price (_q.v._), and began to devote himself to science,

the fruits of which were his _History and Present State of Electricity_

(1767), and _Vision, Light, and Colours_. He also became a distinguished

chemist, and made important discoveries, including that of oxygen. In

1773 he travelled on the Continent as companion to Lord Shelburne, where

he was introduced to many men of scientific and literary eminence, by

some of whom he was rallied upon his belief in Christianity. In reply to

this he wrote _Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever_ (1774), and in

answer to the accusations of Atheism brought against him at home, he

_pub._ (1777) _Disquisition relating to Matter and Spirit_. In 1780 he

settled in Birmingham, in 1782 _pub._ his _Corruptions of Christianity_,

and in 1786 his _History of Early Opinions concerning Jesus Christ_. He

was one of those who wrote replies to Burke's _Reflections on the French

Revolution_, one consequence of which was his election as a French

citizen, and another the destruction of his chapel, house, papers, and

instruments by a mob. Some years later he went to America, where he _d._

P. has been called the father of modern chemistry. He received many

scientific and academic honours, being a member of the Royal Society, of

the Academies of France, and of St. Petersburg, and an LL.D. of Edin. He

was a man of powerful and original mind, of high character, and of

undaunted courage in maintaining his opinions, which were usually

unpopular.

PRINGLE, THOMAS (1789-1834).--Poet, _b._ in Roxburghshire, studied at

Edin., and became known to Scott, by whose influence he obtained a grant

of land in South Africa, to which he, with his _f._ and brothers,

emigrated. He took to literary work in Cape Town, and conducted two

papers, which were suppressed for their free criticisms of the Colonial

Government. Thereupon he returned and settled in London, where he _pub._

_African Sketches_. He also produced a book of poems, _Ephemerides_.

PRIOR, MATTHEW (1664-1721).--Poet, _b._ near Wimborne Minster, Dorset,

_s._ of a joiner who, having _d._, he was _ed._ by an uncle, and sent to

Westminster School. Befriended by the Earl of Dorset he proceeded to

Camb., and while there wrote, jointly with Charles Montague, _The Town

and Country Mouse_, a burlesque of Dryden's _Hind and Panther_. After

holding various diplomatic posts, in which he showed ability and

discretion, he entered Parliament in 1700, and, deserting the Whigs,

joined the Tories, by whom he was employed in various capacities,

including that of Ambassador at Paris. On the death of Queen Anne he was

recalled, and in 1715 imprisoned, but after two years released. In 1719 a

folio ed. of his works was brought out, by which he realised £4000, and

Lord Harley having presented him with an equal sum, he looked forward to

the peace and comfort which were his chief ambition. He did not, however,

long enjoy his prosperity, dying two years later. Among his poems may be

mentioned _Solomon_, which he considered his best work, _Alma, or the

Progress of the Mind_, _The Female Phaeton_, _To a Child of Quality_, and

some prose tales. His chief characteristic is a certain elegance and easy

grace, in which he is perhaps unrivalled. His character appears to have

been by no means unimpeachable, but he was amiable and free from any

trace of vindictiveness.

PROCTER, ADELAIDE ANN (1825-1864).--Poetess, eldest _dau._ of Bryan W.P.

(_q.v._). Many of her poems were first _pub._ in _Household Words_ and

_All the Year Round_, and afterwards _coll._ under the title of _Legends

and Lyrics_ (1858), of which many ed. appeared. In 1851 Miss P. became a

Roman Catholic. She took much interest in social questions affecting

women. She wrote the well-known songs, _Cleansing Fires_ and _The Lost

Chord_, and among her many hymns are, _I do not ask, O Lord, that Life

may be_, and _My God, I thank Thee who hast made_.

PROCTER, BRYAN WALLER ("BARRY CORNWALL") (1787-1874).--Poet, _b._ at

Leeds, and _ed._ at Harrow, went to London and practised successfully as

a solicitor. Thereafter he became a barrister, and was, 1832-61, a

Commissioner of Lunacy. By 1823 he had produced four vols. of poetry and

a tragedy, _Mirandola_ (1821). His works include _Dramatic Scenes_

(1819), _A Sicilian Story_, _Marcian Colonna_ (1820), _The Flood of

Thessaly_ (1823), and _English Songs_ (1832), which last will perhaps

survive his other writings. P. was the friend of most of his literary

contemporaries, and was universally beloved.

PROUT, FATHER, (_see_ MAHONY, F.S.).

PRYNNE, WILLIAM (1600-1669).--Controversial writer, _b._ near Bath, _ed._

at Oxf., studied law at Lincoln's Inn, of which he became a bencher, but

soon became immersed in the writing of controversial pamphlets. After the

_Unloveliness of Lovelocks_ and _Health's Sicknesse_ (1627-30) appeared

his best known controversial work, _Histrio-Mastix_, or a _Scourge for

Stage Players_ (1633), a bitter attack on most of the popular amusements

of the day. It was punished with inhuman severity. P. was brought before

the Star Chamber, fined £5000, pilloried, and had both his ears cut off.

Undeterred by this he issued from his prison a fierce attack upon Laud

and the hierarchy, for which he was again fined, pilloried, and branded

on both cheeks with the letters S.L. (seditious libeller). Removed to

Carnarvon Castle he remained there until liberated in 1641 by the Long

Parliament. He soon after became a member of the House, and joined with

extreme, but not inexcusable, rancour in the prosecution of Laud. After

this he turned his attention to the Independents, whom he hated scarcely

less than the Prelatists, and was among those expelled from the House of

Commons by Cromwell, whom he had opposed in regard to the execution of

the King with such asperity that he again suffered imprisonment, from

which he was released in 1652. He supported the Restoration, and was by

Charles II. appointed Keeper of the Records in the Tower. Here he did

good service by compiling the _Calendar of Parliamentary Writs_ and

_Records_. He _pub._ in all about 200 books and pamphlets.

PSALMANAZAR, GEORGE (1679?-1763).--Literary impostor. His real name is

unknown. He is believed to have been a native of France or Switzerland,

but represented himself as a native of the island of Formosa, and palmed

off a Formosan language of his own construction, to which he afterwards

added a description of the island. For a time he was in the military

service of the Duke of Mecklenburg, and formed a connection with William

Innes, chaplain of a Scottish regiment, who collaborated with him in his

frauds, and introduced various refinements into his methods. Innes,

however, was appointed chaplain to the forces in Portugal, and P. was

unable to maintain his impositions, and was exposed. After a serious

illness in 1728 he turned over a new leaf and became a respectable and

efficient literary hack; his works in his latter days included a _General

History of Printing_, contributions to the _Universal History_, and an

_Autobiography_ containing an account of his impostures.

PURCHAS, SAMUEL (1575?-1626).--Compiler of travels, _b._ at Thaxton, and

_ed._ at Camb., took orders, and held various benefices, including the

rectory of St. Martin's, Ludgate Hill. The papers of R. Hakluyt (_q.v._)

came into his hands, and he made several compilations relating to man,

his nature, doings, and surroundings. His three works are (1) _Purchas

his Pilgrimage, or Relations of the World and the Religions observed in

all Ages and Places, etc._; (2) _Purchas his Pilgrim, Microcosmus, or the

History of Man, etc._; and (3) _Hakluytus Posthumus, or Purchas his

Pilgrimes, containing a History of the World in Sea Voyages and Land

Travels, etc._ Although credulous, diffuse, and confused, these works

have preserved many interesting and curious matters which would otherwise

have been lost.

PUSEY, EDWARD BOUVERIE (1800-1882).--Scholar and theologian, _b._ at

Pusey, Berks, _ed._ at Eton and Oxf., belonged to the family of Lord

Folkstone, whose name was Bouverie, his _f._ assuming that of P. on

inheriting certain estates. After studying in Germany, he became in 1828

Regius Prof. of Hebrew at Oxf. His first important work was an _Essay on

the Causes of Rationalism in German Theology_, and the arrest of similar

tendencies in England became one of the leading objects of his life. He

was one of the chief leaders of the Tractarian movement, and contributed

tracts on _Baptism_ and on _Fasting_. In consequence of a sermon on the

Eucharist, he was in 1843 suspended from the office of Univ. Preacher

which he then held. Later writings related to _Confession_ and _The

Doctrine of the Real Presence_, and in 1865 he issued an _Eirenicon_ in

support of union with the Church of Rome. He was prominent in all

movements and controversies affecting the Univ., and was foremost among

the prosecutors of Jowett (_q.v._). Among his other literary labours are

commentaries on Daniel and the minor Prophets, a treatise on Everlasting

Punishment, and a Catalogue of the Arabic MS. in the Bodleian Library.

PUTTENHAM, GEORGE (1530?-1590).--Was one of the _s._ of Robert P., a

country gentleman. There has been attributed to him the authorship of

_The Arte of Poesie_, a treatise of some length divided into three parts,

(1) of poets and poesy, (2) of proportion, (3) of ornament. It is now

thought rather more likely that it was written by his brother RICHARD

(1520?-1601). George was the author of an _Apologie_ for Queen

Elizabeth's treatment of Mary Queen of Scots.

PYE, HENRY JAMES (1745-1813).--A country gentleman of Berkshire, who

_pub._ _Poems on Various Subjects_ and _Alfred, an Epic_, translated the

_Poetics_ of Aristotle, and was Poet Laureate from 1790. In the last

capacity he wrote official poems of ludicrous dulness, and was generally

a jest and a byword in literary circles.

QUARLES, FRANCIS (1592-1644).--Poet, _b._ at the manor-house of Stewards

near Romford, was at Camb., and studied law at Lincoln's Inn. Thereafter

he went to the Continent, and at Heidelberg acted as cup-bearer to

Elizabeth of Bohemia, _dau._ of James I. He next appears as sec. to

Archbishop Ussher in Ireland, and was in 1639 Chronologer to the City of

London. On the outbreak of the Civil War he sided with the Royalists, and

was plundered by the Parliamentarians of his books and rare manuscripts,

which is said to have so grieved him as to bring about his death. His

first book of poems was _A Feast for Worms_ (1620); others were _Hadassa_

(Esther) (1621), _Sion's Elegies_ (1625), and _Divine Emblems_ (1635), by

far his most popular book. His style was that fashionable in his day,

affected, artificial, and full of "conceits," but he had both real

poetical fire and genuine wit, mixed with much that was false in taste,

and though quaint and crabbed, is seldom feeble or dull. He was twice

_m._, and had by his first wife 18 children.

RADCLIFFE, MRS. ANN (WARD) (1764-1823).--Novelist, only _dau._ of parents

in a respectable position, in 1787 _m._ Mr. William Radcliffe, ed. and

proprietor of a weekly newspaper, the _English Chronicle_. In 1789 she

_pub._ her first novel, _The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne_, of which

the scene is laid in Scotland. It, however, gave little promise of the

future power of the author. In the following year appeared _The Sicilian

Romance_, which attracted attention by its vivid descriptions and

startling incidents. Next came _The Romance of the Forest_ (1791),

followed by _The Mysteries of Udolpho_ (1794), and _The Italian_ (1797),

a story of the Inquisition, the last of her works _pub._ during her

life-time. _Gaston de Blondeville_, ed. by Sergeant Talfourd, was brought

out posthumously. Mrs. R. has been called the Salvator Rosa of British

novelists. She excels in the description of scenes of mystery and terror

whether of natural scenery or incident: in the former displaying a high

degree of imaginative power, and in the latter great ingenuity and

fertility of invention. She had, however, little power of delineating

character. Though her works belong to a type now out of fashion, they

will always possess an historical interest as marking a stage in the

development of English fiction.

"RAINE, ALLEN" (MRS. BEYNON PUDDICOMBE).--Novelist. _A Welsh Singer_

(1897), _Tom Sails_ (1898), _A Welsh Witch_ (1901), _Queen of the Rushes_

(1906), etc.

RALEIGH, SIR WALTER (1552?-1618).--Explorer, statesman, admiral,

historian, and poet, _s._ of Walter R., of Fardel, Devonshire, was _b._

at Hayes Barton in that county. In 1568 he was sent to Oxf., where he

greatly distinguished himself. In the next year he began his career of

adventure by going to France as a volunteer in aid of the Huguenots,

serving thereafter in the Low Countries. The year 1579 saw him engaged in

his first voyage of adventure in conjunction with his half-brother, Sir

Humphrey Gilbert. Their object was to discover and settle lands in North

America; but the expedition failed, chiefly owing to opposition by the

Spaniards. The next year he was fighting against the rebels in Ireland;

and shortly thereafter attracted the notice of Queen Elizabeth, in whose

favour he rapidly rose. In 1584 he fitted out a new colonising expedition

to North America, and succeeded in discovering and occupying Virginia,

named after the Queen. On his return he was knighted. In the dark and

anxious days of the Armada, 1587-88, R. was employed in organising

resistance, and rendered distinguished service in action. His favour with

the Queen, and his haughty bearing, had, however, been raising up enemies

and rivals, and his intrigue and private marriage with Elizabeth

Throckmorton, one of the maids of honour, in 1593, lost him for a time

the favour of the Queen. Driven from the Court he returned to the schemes

of adventure which had so great a charm for him, and fired by the Spanish

accounts of the fabulous wealth of Guiana, he and some of his friends

fitted out an expedition which, however, though attended with various

brilliant episodes, proved unsuccessful. Restored to the favour of the

Queen, he was appointed an Admiral in the expeditions to Cadiz, 1596, and

in the following year was engaged in an attack on the Azores, in both of

which he added greatly to his reputation. The death of Elizabeth in 1603

was the turning point in R.'s fortunes. Thenceforward disaster clouded

his days. The new sovereign and his old enemies combined to compass his

ruin. Accused of conspiring against the former he was, against all

evidence, sentenced to death, and though this was not at the time carried

out, he was imprisoned in the Tower and his estates confiscated. During

this confinement he composed his _History of the World_, which he brought

down to 130 B.C. It is one of the finest specimens of Elizabethan prose,

reflective in matter and dignified and grave in style. Released in 1615

he set out on his last voyage, again to Guiana, which, like the former,

proved a failure, and in which he lost his eldest _s._ He returned a

broken and dying man, but met with no pity from his ungenerous King who,

urged, it is believed, by the King of Spain, had him beheaded on Tower

Hill, October 29, 1618. R. is one of the most striking and brilliant

figures in an age crowded with great men. Of a noble presence, he was

possessed of a commanding intellect and a versatility which enabled him

to shine in every enterprise to which he set himself. In addition to his

great fragment the _History of the World_, he wrote _A Report of the

Truth of the Fight about the Azores_, and _The Discoverie of the Empire

of Guiana_, besides various poems chiefly of a philosophic cast, of which

perhaps the best known are _The Pilgrimage_, and that beginning "Go,

Soul, the Body's Guest."

The most recent _Lives_ are by Stebbing (1892), and Hume (1898). _Works_

(1829), with _Lives_ by Oldys and Birch.

RAMÉE, LOUISE DE LA ("OUIDA") (1840?-1908).--Novelist, _b._ at Bury St.

Edmunds, _dau._ of an English _f._ and a French mother. For many years

she lived in London, but about 1874 she went to Italy, where she _d._ She

wrote over 40 novels, which had considerable popularity. Among the best

known of them are _Under Two Flags_, _Puck_, _Two Little Wooden Shoes_, _In

a Winter City_, _In Maremma_. She also wrote a book of stories for

children, _Bimbi_. Occasionally she shows considerable power, but on the

whole her writings have an unhealthy tone, want reality, and are not

likely to have any permanent place in literature.

RAMSAY, ALLAN (1686-1758).--Poet, _s._ of a mine-manager at Leadhills,

Dumfriesshire, who claimed kin with the Ramsays of Dalhousie. In his

infancy he lost his _f._, and his mother _m._ a small "laird," who gave

him the ordinary parish school education. In 1701 he came to Edinburgh as

apprentice to a wig-maker, took to writing poetry, became a member of the

"Easy Club," of which Pitcairn and Ruddiman, the grammarian, were

members, and of which he was made "laureate." The club _pub._ his poems

as they were thrown off, and their appearance soon began to be awaited

with interest. In 1716 he _pub._ an additional canto to _Christ's Kirk on

the Green_, a humorous poem sometimes attributed to James I., and in 1719

he became a bookseller, his shop being a meeting-place of the _literati_

of the city. A _coll._ ed. of his poems appeared in 1720, among the

subscribers to which were Pope, Steele, Arbuthnot, and Gay. It was

followed by _Fables and Tales_, and other poems. In 1724 he began the

_Tea Table Miscellany_, a collection of new Scots songs set to old

melodies, and the _Evergreen_, a collection of old Scots poems with which

R. as ed. took great liberties. This was a kind of work for which he was

not qualified, and in which he was far from successful. _The Gentle

Shepherd_, by far his best known and most meritorious work, appeared in

1725, and had an immediate popularity which, to a certain extent, it

retains. It is a pastoral drama, and abounds in character, unaffected

sentiment, and vivid description. After this success R., satisfied with

his reputation, produced nothing, more of importance. He was the first to

introduce the circulating library into Scotland, and among his other

enterprises was an unsuccessful attempt to establish a theatre in Edin.

On the whole his life was a happy and successful one, and he had the

advantage of a cheerful, sanguine, and contented spirit. His foible was

an innocent and good-natured vanity.

RAMSAY, EDWARD BANNERMAN (1793-1872).--A clergyman of the Scottish

Episcopal Church, and Dean of Edinburgh in that communion from 1841, has

a place in literature by his _Reminiscences of Scottish Life and

Character_, which had gone through 22 ed. at his death. It is a book

full of the engaging personality of the author, and preserves many

interesting and entertaining traits and anecdotes which must otherwise,

in all probability, have perished. The Dean was deservedly one of the

most popular men in Scotland.

RANDOLPH, THOMAS (1605-1635).--Poet and dramatist, _ed._ at Westminster

School and Camb., was a friend of Ben Jonson, and led a wild life in

London. He wrote six plays, including _The Jealous Lovers_, _Amyntas_,

and _The Muses' Looking-glass_, and some poems. He was a scholar as well

as a wit, and his plays are full of learning and condensed thought in a

style somewhat cold and hard.

RAPIN DE THOYRAS, PAUL (1661-1725).--Historian, _b._ at Castres,

Languedoc, belonged to a Protestant Savoyard family, and came to England

on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1686. He afterwards served

with William III. in Holland, and accompanied him to England in 1688. His

_History of England_, written in French, was translated into English, and

continued by various writers, and was the standard history until the

appearance of Hume's.

RASPE, RUDOLF ERIC- (1737-1794).--_B._ in Hanover, was a prof. in Cassel,

and keeper of the Landgrave of Hesse's antique gems and medals, in the

purloining of some of which he was detected, and fled to England. Here he

won for himself a certain place in English literature by the publication

in 1785 of _Baron Munchausen's Narrative_. Only a small portion of the

work in its present form is by R., the rest having been added later by

another hand. He appears to have maintained more or less during life his

character of a rogue, and is the prototype of Douster-swivel in Scott's

_Antiquary_.

RAWLINSON, GEORGE (1812-1902).--Historian, _b._ at Chadlington.

Oxfordshire, and _ed._ at Oxf., took orders, and was Canon of Canterbury

from 1872. He held the Camden Professorship of Ancient History at Oxf.

from 1861. Among his works are a translation of Herodotus (1858-62) (with

his brother, Sir Henry R., _q.v._), _Historical Evidences of the Truth of

the Scripture Records_, _The Five Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern

World_ (1862-67), _Manual of Ancient History_ (1869), _The Sixth and

Seventh Great Oriental Monarchies_ (1873-77), _History of Ancient Egypt_

(1881), _Histories of the Phoenicians and Parthians_, _Memoirs of Sir

H.C. Rawlinson_ (1898).

RAWLINSON, SIR HENRY CRESSWICKE (1810-1895).--Brother of the above,

entered the service of the East India Company, and held many important

diplomatic posts. He studied the cuneiform inscriptions, and _pub._ _The

Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia_ (1861-80), _Outlines of the

History of Assyria_ (1852). He deciphered most of the inscriptions

discovered by Sir A.H. Layard (_q.v._).

RAY, JOHN (1627-1705).--Naturalist, _s._ of a blacksmith at Black Notley,

Essex, was at Camb., where he became a Fellow of Trinity, and

successively lecturer on Greek and mathematics. His first publication

was a Latin catalogue of plants growing near Cambridge, which appeared in

1660. Thereafter he made a tour of Great Britain, and _pub._ in 1670 his

_Catalogue of the Plants of England and the adjacent Isles_. In 1663 he

had travelled on the Continent for three years with his pupil-friend, F.

Willughby, and in 1673 appeared _Observations_ on his journeys, which

extended over the Low Countries, Germany, Italy, and France, with a

catalogue of plants not native to England. On the death of Willughby, R.

_ed._ his sons, and in 1679 retired to his native village, where he

continued his scientific labours until his death. These included the ed.

of W.'s _History of Birds and Fishes_, a collection of English proverbs,

_Historia Plantarum Generalis_ (1686-1704), and _Synopsis Methodica

Animalium_. He was for long popularly known by his treatise, _The Wisdom

of God manifested in the works of the Creation_ (1691), a precursor of

Paley's _Natural Theology_. R. is the father of English botany, and

appears to have grasped the idea of the natural classification of plants,

afterwards developed by Jussieu and other later naturalists. His greatest

successors, including Cuvier, highly commended his methods and

acquirements.

READ, THOMAS BUCHANAN (1822-1872).--American poet, was a

portrait-painter, and lived much abroad. He wrote a prose romance, _The

Pilgrims of the Great St. Bernard_, and several books of poetry,

including _The New Pastoral_, _The House by the Sea_, _Sylvia_, and _A

Summer Story_. Some of the shorter pieces included in these, _e.g._,

"Sheridan's Ride," "Drifting," and "The Closing Scene," have great merit.

READE, CHARLES (1814-1884).--Novelist, _s._ of a country gentleman of

Oxfordshire, _ed._ at Oxf., and called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn 1843.

He did not, however, practise, but began his literary career with some

dramas, of which the most remarkable were _Masks and Faces_, _Gold_, and

_Drink_. He afterwards rewrote the first of these as a novel, _Peg

Woffington_ (1852), which attained great popularity. _It is never too

late to Mend_ appeared in 1856, his historical novel, _The Cloister and

the Hearth_, generally regarded as his masterpiece (1861), _Hard Cash_

(1863), _Griffith Gaunt_ (1867), _Foul Play_ (1869), _Put Yourself in his

Place_ (1870), and _A Terrible Temptation_ (1871). Critics have differed

very widely as to the merits of R. as a novelist, and have attributed to,

and denied him the same qualities; but it will be generally admitted

that, while very unequal, he was at his best a writer of unusual power

and vividness. Nearly all are agreed as to the great excellence of _The

Cloister and the Hearth_, Mr. Swinburne placing it "among the very

greatest masterpieces of narrative." Many of his novels were written with

a view to the reformation of some abuse. Thus _Hard Cash_ exposes certain

private asylums, and _Foul Play_, written in collaboration with Dion

Boucicault, is levelled against ship-knackers.

REED, HENRY (1808-1854).--Critic, was Prof. of English Literature in the

Univ. of Pennsylvania. He _d._ in a shipwreck. He was a sympathetic and

delicate critic, and was among the first of American men of letters to

appreciate the genius of Wordsworth, of whose works he brought out an ed.

in 1837. His lectures on English Literature, English History, and English

Poets were _pub._

REEVE, CLARA (1729-1807).--Novelist, was the author of several novels, of

which only one is remembered--_The Old English Baron_ (1777), written in

imitation of, or rivalry with, H. Walpole's _Castle of Otranto_, with

which it has often been printed.

REEVE, HENRY (1813-1895).--Editor, etc., _s._ of a physician, was on the

staff of the _Times_, the foreign policy of which he influenced for many

years. He was ed. of the _Edinburgh Review_ 1855-95, and of the Greville

Memoirs 1865. He held a leading place in society, and had an unusually

wide acquaintance with men of letters all over the continent.

REID, MAYNE (1818-1883).--Novelist, _b._ in the north of Ireland, he set

off at the age of 20 for Mexico to push his fortunes, and went through

many adventures, including service in the Mexican War. He also was for a

short time settled in Philadelphia engaged in literary work. Returning to

this country he began a long series of novels of adventure with _The

Rifle Rangers_ (1849). The others include _The Scalp Hunters_, _Boy

Hunters_, and _Young Voyagers_, and had great popularity, especially with

boys.

REID, THOMAS (1710-1796).--Philosopher, was the _s._ of the minister of

Strachan, Kincardineshire, where he was _b._ His mother was one of the

gifted family of the Gregorys. At the age of 12 he was sent to Marischal

Coll., Aberdeen, where he graduated, and thereafter resided for some time

as librarian, devoting himself to study, especially of mathematics and

the Newtonian philosophy. He was in 1737 ordained minister of New Machar,

Aberdeen, and in 1748 he communicated to the Royal Society an _Essay on

Quantity_. Four years later he became one of the Prof. of Philosophy

(including mathematics and natural philosophy) in King's Coll., Aberdeen,

and in 1763 he was chosen to succeed Adam Smith as Prof. of Moral

Philosophy in Glasgow. In the following year he _pub._ his great work,

_Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense_, directed

against Hume's _Essay on Human Nature_. Up to the appearance of the

latter work in 1739 R. had been a follower of Berkeley, but the

conclusions drawn therein from the idealistic philosophy led him to

revise his theories, and to propound what is usually known as the "common

sense" philosophy, by which term is meant the beliefs common to rational

beings as such. In 1785 he _pub._ his _Essay on the Intellectual Powers_,

which was followed in 1788 by that _On the Active Powers_. R., who,

though below the middle size, was strong and fond of exercise, maintained

his bodily and mental vigour until his death at 86. His writings,

distinguished by logical rigour of method and clearness of style,

exercised a profound influence in France as well as at home; but his

attempted refutation of Berkeley is now generally considered to have

failed.

_Works_ ed. by Sir W. Hamilton and H.L. Mansel. Sketch by Prof. A.C.

Fraser (1898).

REID, SIR THOMAS WEMYSS (1842-1905).--Novelist and biographer, _b._ at

Newcastle, and after being connected with various provincial newspapers

came to London in 1887 as manager for Cassell and Co. Thereafter he was,

1890-99, ed. of _The Speaker_. Among his more permanent writings are _The

Land of the Bey_ (1882), _Gladys Fane_ (1883), and Lives of W.E. Forster

(1888), and Lords Houghton (1891), and Playfair (1899), and William Black

(1902). He was knighted in 1894.

REYNOLDS, SIR JOSHUA (1723-1792).--Painter and writer on art, _s._ of a

clergyman and schoolmaster at Plympton, Devonshire. After studying art in

Italy, he settled in London, where he attained extraordinary fame as a

portrait-painter. He is regarded as the greatest English representative

of that art, and was first Pres. of the Royal Academy. He was the

intimate friend of Johnson, Burke, Goldsmith, and indeed of most of the

celebrated men of his time. He has also a place in literature for his

_Fifteen Discourses_ on painting, delivered to the Academy. He also

contributed to the _Idler_, and translated Du Fresney's _Art of

Painting_. He suffered from deafness, and in his latter years from

failure of sight. He was a man of great worth and amiability. He was

knighted in 1769.

RHODES, WILLIAM BARNES (1772-1826).--Dramatist, was in the Bank of

England, of which he became Chief Teller. He wrote a burlesque,

_Bombastes Furioso_, which achieved great popularity.

RHYMER, THOMAS THE, (_see_ ERCILDOUN).

RICARDO, DAVID (1772-1823).--Political economist, _s._ of a Jewish

stockbroker, himself followed the same business, in which he acquired a

large fortune. On his marriage he conformed to Christianity. He was an

original and powerful writer on economic subjects, his chief work being

_The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation_ (1817). After retiring

from business he entered the House of Commons, where, owing to his

remarkable power of lucid exposition, combined with his reputation as a

highly successful man of business, he acquired great influence. The

writings of R. are among the classics of his subject.

RICE, JAMES (1844-1882).--Novelist, was _ed._ at Camb., and studied law,

from which he drifted into literature. He wrote a number of successful

novels in collaboration with W. Besant (_q.v._).

RICH, BARNABE (1540?-1620?).--Writer of romances, _b._ in Essex, saw

military service in the Low Countries. He began to write in 1574, and

took Lyly's _Euphues_ as his model. Among his numerous romances is _The

Strange and Wonderful Adventures of Simonides, a Gentleman Spaniard_ and

_Riche, his Farewell to the Military Profession_ (1581), which furnished

Shakespeare with the plot for _Twelfth Night_.

RICHARDSON, SAMUEL (1689-1761).--Novelist, _s._ of a joiner, was _b._ at

Derby. His _f._ had intended him for the Church, but means failed, and at

the age of 17 he went to London, and was apprenticed to a printer.

Careful and diligent, he prospered in business, became printer of the

Journals of the House of Commons, and in the year before his death

purchased the moiety of the patent of King's Printer. He was twice _m._,

and each of his wives brought him six children, of whom, however, only

four daughters were living at his death. R., who was the originator of

the modern novel, did not take seriously to literature until he was past

50 when, in 1740, _Pamela_ appeared. It originated in a proposal by two

printers that R. should write a collection of model letters for the use

of persons unaccustomed to correspondence, but it soon developed in his

hands into a novel in which the story is carried on in the form of a

correspondence. With faults and absurdities, it struck a true note of

sentiment, and exploded the prevalent idea that dukes and princesses were

the only suitable heroes and heroines (Pamela was a maid-servant), and it

won immediate and phenomenal popularity. In 1748 _Clarissa Harlow_, his

masterpiece, was _pub._, and in 1753 _Sir Charles Grandison_, in which

the author embodies his ideal of a Christian gentleman. All these surfer

from an elaboration of detail which often becomes tedious; but in deep

acquaintance with the motives of conduct, and especially of the workings

of the female heart, they are almost unrivalled; their pathos also is

genuine and deep. R. had an unusual faculty as the platonic friend and

counsellor of women, and was the centre of an admiring circle of the sex,

who ministered to a vanity which became somewhat excessive. R. has also

the distinction of evoking the genius of Fielding, whose first novel,

_Joseph Andrews_, was begun as a skit or parody upon _Pamela_. R. is

described as "a stout, rosy, vain, prosy little man." _Life_ by Sir W.

Scott in Ballantyne's _Novelists Library_. _Works_ with preface by L.

Stephen (12 vols., 1883), etc.

RITCHIE, LEITCH (1800?-1865).--Novelist, _b._ at Greenock and in business

as a clerk in Glasgow, but about 1820 adopted literature as his

profession. He wrote several novels of which the best known is _Wearyfoot

Common_; others were _The Robber of the Rhine_ and _The Magician_. In his

later years he ed. _Chambers's Journal_.

RITSON, JOSEPH (1752-1803).--Antiquary and critic, _b._ at

Stockton-on-Tees, settled in London as a conveyancer, at the same time

devoting himself to the study of ancient English poetry. By his diligence

as a collector and acuteness as a critic he rendered essential service to

the preservation and appreciation of our ancient poetry. His chief works

are _A Collection of English Songs_ (1783), _Ancient Songs from Henry

III. to the Revolution_ (1790), _A Collection of Scottish Songs_ (1794),

and _A Collection of all the Ancient Poems, etc., relating to Robin Hood_

(1795). Of a jealous and quarrelsome temper, R. was continually in

controversy with his fellow-collectors and critics, including Johnson,

Warton, and Percy. His acuteness enabled him to detect the Ireland

forgeries. He _d._ insane.

ROBERTSON, FREDERICK WILLIAM (1816-1853).--Divine, _s._ of Captain

Frederick R., of the Royal Artillery, was _b._ in London, and _ed._ at

Edin. and Oxf. After holding various curacies he became in 1847 incumbent

of Trinity Chapel, Brighton, where his preaching, though it brought him

under the suspicion both of the High and Evangelical parties in the

Church, had an extraordinary influence. Always of delicate and

highly-strung constitution, his health gave way after his ministry in

Brighton had extended to six years, and he _d._ in 1853. The beauty of

his life and character had almost conquered the suspicion and dislike

with which his views had inspired many. His sermons, of which five series

were _pub._ posthumously, have had a very wide popularity.

ROBERTSON, THOMAS WILLIAM (1829-1871).--Dramatist, belonged to a family

famous for producing actors. Never a successful actor himself, he

produced a number of plays, which had unusual popularity. Among these are

_David Garrick_, _Society_, _Caste_, and _School_.

ROBERTSON, WILLIAM (1721-1793).--Historian, _s._ of the parish minister

of Borthwick, Midlothian, where he was _b._, received his earlier _ed._

at Dalkeith, which then had a school of some repute; but his _f._ being

translated to Edin., he attended school, and afterwards the Univ. there,

studying for the Church. In 1743 he became minister of Gladsmuir, near

Prestonpans. In the '45 he showed his loyalty by offering himself to Sir

J. Cope as a volunteer, a service which was, however, declined. He soon

began to take a prominent part in the debates of the General Assembly, of

which he rose to be the undisputed leader. In 1758 he became one of the

city ministers of Edin., and in the following year _pub._ his _History of

Scotland_, which had an extraordinary success, and at once raised him to

a foremost place among British historians. Preferment immediately

followed: he was made Chaplain of Stirling Castle 1759, King's Chaplain

for Scotland 1760, Principal of the Univ. of Edin. 1761, and

Historiographer for Scotland 1763. In 1769 appeared the _History of the

Reign of the Emperor Charles V._, in 1777 _The History of America_, and

in 1791 _Historical Disquisition on Ancient India_. In 1780 R. retired

from the management of Church affairs, in which he had shown conspicuous

ability, and gave himself to study, and the society of his friends, among

whom were most of his distinguished contemporaries. As a writer he

possessed a finished style, clear, measured, and stately, which carried

his well-arranged narrative as on a full and steady stream; he was also

cool and sagacious but, like Hume, he was apt to take his facts at second

hand, and the vast additional material which has been in course of

accumulation since his day has rendered the value of his work more and

more literary, and less and less historical.

_Lives_ by Dugald Stewart (1801), Bishop Gleig (1812), and Lord Brougham

in _Men of Letters_.

ROBINSON, HENRY CRABB (1775-1867).--Diarist, _b._ at Bury St. Edmunds,

was articled to an attorney in Colchester. Between 1800 and 1805 he

studied at various places in Germany, and became acquainted with nearly

all the great men of letters there, including Goethe, Schiller, Herder,

Wieland, etc. Thereafter he became war correspondent to the _Times_ in

the Peninsula. On his return to London he studied for the Bar, to which

he was called in 1813, and became leader of the Eastern Circuit. Fifteen

years later he retired, and by virtue of his great conversational powers

and other qualities, became a leader in society, going everywhere and

knowing everybody worth knowing. He _d._ unmarried, aged 91, and his

_Diary, Reminiscences and Correspondence_, which stands in the forefront

of its class, was _pub._ in 1869.

ROCHESTER, JOHN WILMOT (2ND EARL OF) (1647-1680).--Poet, _s._ of the 1st

Earl, _b._ at Ditchley in Oxfordshire, and _ed._ at Oxf., saw some naval

service when he showed conspicuous bravery. He became one of the most

dissolute of the courtiers of Charles II., and wore himself out at 33 by

his wild life. He was handsome, and witty, and possessed a singular charm

of manner. He wrote a number of light, graceful poems, many of them

extremely gross. Bishop Burnet, who attended him on his deathbed,

believed him to have been sincerely repentant. In addition to his short

pieces he wrote a _Satyr against Mankind_, and a tragedy, _Valentinian_,

adapted from Beaumont and Fletcher.

ROGERS, HENRY (1806-1877).--Critic and theologian, was a minister of the

Congregationalist Church, and ultimately Prof. of English Literature in

Univ. Coll., London. He was a contributor to the _Edinburgh Review_, and

is best known by his _Eclipse of Faith_ (1852), a reply to F.W. Newman's

_Phases of Faith_. This work, which displays remarkable acuteness and

logical power, had great popularity.

ROGERS, SAMUEL (1763-1855).--Poet, _s._ of a banker in London, received a

careful private education, and entered the bank, of which, on his

father's death, he became the principal partner. From his early youth he

showed a marked taste for literature and the fine arts, which his wealth

enabled him to gratify; and in his later years he was a well-known leader

in society and a munificent patron of artists and men of letters, his

breakfasts, at which he delighted to assemble celebrities in all

departments, being famous. He was the author of the following poems: _The

Pleasures of Memory_ (1792), _Columbus_ (1810), _Jacqueline_ (1814),

_Human Life_ (1819), and _Italy_ (1822). R. was emphatically the poet of

taste, and his writings, while full of allusion and finished description,

rarely show passion or intensity of feeling; but are rather the

reflections and memory-pictures of a man of high culture and refinement

expressed in polished verse. He had considerable powers of conversation

and sarcasm. He was offered, but declined, the laureateship.

ROLLE, RICHARD (1290?-1349).--Hermit and poet, _b._ at Thornton,

Yorkshire, was at Oxf. Impressed by the uncertainty and the snares of

life he decided to become a hermit, a resolution which he carried out

with somewhat romantic circumstances. He wrote various religious

treatises in Latin and English, turned the Psalms into English verse, and

composed a poem--_The Pricke of Conscience_--in 7 books, in which is

shown the attitude of protest which was rising against certain Papal

pretensions and doctrines.

ROLLOCK, ROBERT (1555?-1599).--Theologian and scholar, _b._ in

Stirlingshire, was first a Prof. in St. Andrews, and then the first

Principal of the Univ. of Edin. He also held office as Prof. of Theology,

and was one of the ministers of the High Church. He was one of the

earliest of Protestant commentators. He wrote chiefly in Latin, but some

of his sermons and commentaries are in vernacular Scotch.

ROPER, WILLIAM (1496-1578).--Biographer, _s._ of a Kentish gentleman,

_m._ Margaret, _dau._ of Sir Thomas More. He has a place in literature

for his excellent and appreciative biography of his father-in-law. He was

a member of various Parliaments between 1529 and 1558. Although he

remained a Roman Catholic, he was permitted to retain his office of

prothonotary of the Court of King's Bench after the accession of

Elizabeth.

ROSCOE, WILLIAM (1753-1831).--Historian, _s._ of a market-gardener near

Liverpool, for a time assisted his _f._, devoting all his spare time to

mental improvement. Subsequently he entered the office of an attorney,

and in due time went into business on his own account, continuing,

however, his literary studies. In 1799 he joined a local bank as partner

and manager, which proved an unfortunate step, as the bank was obliged,

in 1816, to suspend payment. In 1795 he rose into fame at a bound by his

_Life of Lorenzo de' Medici_. It was followed in 1805 by the _Life and

Pontificate of Leo the Tenth_, which, though also a work of great

ability, had not the same success--his treatment of the Reformation

offending Protestants and Roman Catholics alike. Both works were

translated into various languages. He also wrote some poems, including

_The Butterfly's Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast_, and several pamphlets

on political questions, including the slave-trade, of which he was a

determined opponent. He also took a leading part in the public life of

Liverpool, which he represented in Parliament for a few years. He was an

accomplished botanist.

ROSCOMMON, WENTWORTH DILLON, 4TH EARL of (1633?-1685).--Poet, nephew of

the famous Earl of Strafford, was _b._ in Ireland. He studied and

travelled on the Continent, and enjoyed a considerable literary

reputation in his own day on the strength of a poetical _Essay on

Translated Verse_, and translations from Horace's _Art of Poetry_.

ROSE, WILLIAM STEWART (1775-1843).--Poet and translator, _s._ of George

R., who held various Government offices, including that of Treasurer of

the Navy. After being _ed._ at Eton and Camb., he was appointed Reading

Clerk to the House of Lords. He translated the romance of _Amadis de

Gaul_ (1803), _Partenopex de Blois_ (1807), etc., and from 1823-31 was

occupied with the principal work of his life, his translations from the

Italian, including the _Orlando Furioso_ of Ariosto, in which he was

encouraged by Sir W. Scott, whose friend he was. He also produced a vol.

of poems, _The Crusade of St. Louis_ (1810).

ROSSETTI, CHRISTINA GEORGINA (1830-1894).--Poetess, sister of Dante

Gabriel R. (_q.v._), was _b._ in London, where she lived all her life.

She began to write poetry in early girlhood, some of her earliest verse

appearing in 1850 in the _Germ_, the magazine of the pre-Raphaelites, of

which her brother was one of the founders. Her subsequent publications

were _Goblin Market and other Poems_ (1862), _The Prince's Progress_

(1866), _A Pageant and other Poems_ (1881), and _Verses_ (1893). _New

Poems_ (1896) appeared after her death. _Sing-Song_ was a book of verses

for children. Her life was a very retired one, passed largely in

attending on her mother, who lived until 1886, and in religious duties.

She twice rejected proposals of marriage. Her poetry is characterised by

imaginative power, exquisite expression, and simplicity and depth of

thought. She rarely imitated any forerunner, and drew her inspiration

from her own experiences of thought and feeling. Many of her poems are

definitely religious in form; more are deeply imbued with religious

feeling and motive. In addition to her poems she wrote _Commonplace and

other Stories_, and _The Face of the Deep_, a striking and suggestive

commentary on the Apocalypse.

ROSSETTI, DANTE GABRIEL (1828-1882).--Poet and painter, was _b._ in

London. His _f._ was Gabriele Rossetti, an Italian scholar, who came to

England in 1824, and was Prof. of Italian in King's Coll., London. His

mother was Frances Polidori, English on her mother's side, so that the

poet was three-fourths Italian, and one-fourth English. He was _ed._ at

King's Coll. School, and began the systematic study of painting in 1842,

and in 1848, with Holman Hunt, Millais, and others, founded the

pre-Raphaelite school of painting. In 1849 he exhibited the "Girlhood of

Mary Virgin," and among his other pictures are "Beata Beatrix," "Monna

Vanna," and "Dante's Dream." Simultaneously with art he worked hard at

poetry, and by 1847 he had written _The Blessed Damozel_ and _Hand and

Soul_ (both of which appeared in the _Germ_, the magazine of the

pre-Raphaelites), _Retro me Sathanas_, _The Portrait_, and _The Choice_,

and in 1861 he brought out a vol. of translations from the early Italian

poets under the title of _Dante and his Circle_. The death of his wife in

1862, after a married life of less than two years, told heavily upon him,

as did various attacks upon his poetry, including that of Robert Buchanan

(_q.v._)--_The Fleshly School of Poetry_--to which he replied with _The

Stealthy School of Criticism_. His _Poems_ which, in the vehemence of his

grief, he had buried in the coffin of his wife, and which were afterwards

exhumed, appeared in 1870; and his last literary effort, _Ballads and

Sonnets_, containing the sonnets forming _The House of Life_, in 1881. In

his later years he suffered acutely from neuralgia, which led to the

habit of taking chloral. Rossetti was fastidious in composition; his

poems are as remarkable for condensation, finish, and exact expression of

the poet's thought as for their sumptuous colouring and rich concrete

imagery. In later years he was subject to depression, and became somewhat

embittered, and much of a recluse.

_Life_ by A.C. Benson (English Men of Letters). _Family Letters and

Memoir_ by W.M. Rossetti. Poetical Works with preface by the same, etc.

ROUS, FRANCIS (1579-1659).--Versifier of the Psalms, a Cornishman, and a

prominent Puritan, took a leading part in Parliament, was Provost of

Eton, and wrote several theological and devotional works. His memory has,

however, been chiefly kept green by his translation of the Psalms into

verse, which with some modifications was adopted by the Church and

Parliament of Scotland for use in public worship, a position which it

held almost exclusively until the middle of the 19th century. It is still

in universal use in the Presbyterian churches of that country, though now

accompanied by hymns. Though rough, and sometimes, through the endeavour

to maintain literalness, grotesque, it is strong and simple, and not

seldom rises to a certain severe beauty; and association has endeared it

to many generations of Scottish Christians.

ROW, JOHN (1568-1646).--Scottish ecclesiastical historian, _b._ at Perth,

_s._ of John R., one of the Scottish Reformers, was minister of Carnock

in Fife, and a leading opponent of Episcopacy. His _Historie of the Kirk

of Scotland_, 1558-1637, left by him in manuscript, was printed in 1842

for the Wodrow Society. It is an original authority for the period.

ROWE, NICHOLAS (1674-1718).--Dramatist and poet, _b._ of a good family at

Little Barford, Bedfordshire, was bred to the law, but inheriting an

income of £300 a year, he devoted himself to literature, and produced

several dramas, including _The Ambitious Stepmother_, _The Fair

Penitent_, and _Jane Shore_. The last, which is his best, contains some

scenes of true pathos, and holds its place. He also wrote some poems, and

translated Lucan. R., who was a man of very engaging manners, was the

friend of Pope, Swift, and Addison, and received many lucrative

appointments, including that of Under-Sec. of State. He has the

distinction of being the first ed. and biographer of Shakespeare (1709).

He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1715, and was buried in Westminster

Abbey, with an epitaph by Pope.

ROWLEY, WILLIAM (1585?-1642?).--Dramatist, was an actor in the Queen's

Company 1610. He collaborated with Middleton in _A Fair Quarrel_ and _The

Changeling_, and in others with Dekker, Webster, etc., and wrote

unassisted _A New Wonder_, _A Match at Midnight_, _A Shoemaker, a

Gentleman_, and several others; also a picture of life in London called

_A Search for Money_. R. was vigorous and humorous, but his verse lacked

sweetness and smoothness.

RUDDIMAN, THOMAS (1674-1757).--Grammarian, _b._ in Banffshire, and _ed._

at King's Coll., Aberdeen, obtained a position in the Advocates' Library

in Edin., of which in 1730 he became Librarian. In 1714 he _pub._ his

_Rudiments of the Latin Tongue_, which was for long the recognised Latin

grammar in the schools of Scotland. He was made printer to the Univ. in

1728. R., who was one of the greatest of Scottish Latinists, produced an

ed. of the works of George Buchanan, and an ed. of _Livy_ said to be

"immaculate." He also reprinted, with notes, Gavin Douglas's version of

the _Æneid_.

RUSKIN, JOHN (1819-1900).--Writer on art, economics, and sociology, was

_b._ in London, the _s._ of a wealthy wine merchant, a Scotsman. Brought

up under intellectually and morally bracing Puritan influences, his

education was mainly private until he went to Oxf. in 1836; he remained

until 1840, when a serious illness interrupted his studies, and led to a

six months' visit to Italy. On his return in 1842 he took his degree. In

1840 he had made the acquaintance of Turner, and this, together with a

visit to Venice, constituted a turning point in his life. In 1843

appeared the first vol. of _Modern Painters_, the object of which was to

insist upon the superiority in landscape of the moderns, and especially

of Turner, to all the ancient masters. The earnestness and originality

of the author and the splendour of the style at once called attention to

the work which, however, awakened a chorus of protest from the adherents

of the ancients. A second vol. appeared in 1846, the third and fourth in

1856, and the fifth in 1860. Meanwhile he had _pub._ _The Seven Lamps of

Architecture_ (1849), _The Stones of Venice_ (1851-53), perhaps his

greatest work, _Lectures on Architecture and Painting_ (1854), _Elements

of Drawing_ (1856), and _Elements of Perspective_ (1859). During the 17

years between the publication of the first and the last vols. of _Modern

Painters_ his views alike on religion and art had become profoundly

modified, and the necessity of a radical change in the moral and

intellectual attitude of the age towards religion, art, and economics in

their bearing upon life and social conditions had become his ruling idea.

He now assumed the _rôle_ of the prophet as Carlyle, by whose teaching he

was profoundly influenced, had done, and the rest of his life was spent

in the endeavour to turn the mind of the nation in the direction he

desired. _The Political Economy of Art_ (1857) showed the line in which

his mind was moving; but it was in _Unto this Last_, _pub._ in the

_Cornhill Magazine_ in 1860, that he began fully to develop his views. It

brought down upon him a storm of opposition and obloquy which continued

for years, and which, while it acted injuriously upon his highly

sensitive nervous system, had no effect in silencing him or modifying his

views. There followed _Munera Pulveris_ (Gifts of the Dust), _The Crown

of Wild Olive_, _Sesame and Lilies_ (1865), _Time and Tide by Wear and

Tyne_, and innumerable fugitive articles. In 1869 R. was appointed first

Slade Prof. of the Fine Arts at Oxf., and endowed a school of drawing in

the Univ. His successive courses of lectures were _pub._ as _Aratra

Pentelici_ (Ploughs of Pentelicus) (1870), _The Eagle's Nest_ (1872),

_Ariadne Florentina_ (1872), and _Love's Meinie_ (1873).

Contemporaneously with these he issued with more or less regularity, as

health permitted, _Fors Clavigera_ (Chance the Club-bearer), a series of

miscellaneous notes and essays, sold by the author himself direct to the

purchasers, the first of a series of experiments--of which the Guild of

St. George, a tea room, and a road-making enterprise were other

examples--in practical economics. After the death of his mother in 1871

he purchased a small property, Brantwood, in the Lake district, where he

lived for the remainder of his life, and here he brought out in monthly

parts his last work, _Præterita_, an autobiography, 24 parts of which

appeared, bringing down the story to 1864. Here he _d._ on January 20,

1900. R. was a man of noble character and generous impulses, but highly

strung, irritable, and somewhat intolerant. He is one of our greatest

stylists, copious, eloquent, picturesque, and highly coloured. His

influence on his time was very great, at first in the department of art,

in which he was for a time regarded as the supreme authority, later and

increasingly in the realms of economics and morals, in which he was at

first looked upon as an unpractical dreamer. He _m._ in 1848, but the

union proved unhappy, and was dissolved in 1855.

For his Life _see_ his own works, especially _Præterita_. _Life and

Works_ by Collingwood (2 vols., 1893). _Bibliography_, T.J. Wise

(1889-93). Shorter works by Mrs. Meynell, J.A. Hobson, F. Harrison, etc.

RUSSELL, LORD JOHN, 1ST EARL RUSSELL (1792-1878).--Statesman, biographer,

and historical writer, third _s._ of the 6th Duke of Bedford, was _ed._

at Westminster School and the Univ. of Edin. He entered Parliament in

1813, and became one of the most eminent English statesmen of the 19th

century. He uniformly acted with the Whig and afterwards with the Liberal

party, advocated all measures of progress, especially the removal of

tests, the extension of education, and Parliamentary reform. He was the

leader of his party in the House of Commons from 1834-55, represented the

City of London from 1841 until his elevation to the peerage in 1861, and

held the offices of Paymaster of the Forces, Home Sec., Colonial Sec.,

Foreign Sec., and Prime Minister, which last he held twice, 1846-52, and

1865-66. His contributions to literature were considerable, both in

number and importance, and include _Essay on the English Constitution_

(1821), _Memoirs of the Affairs of Europe from the Peace of Utrecht_

(1824), _Correspondence of the 4th Duke of Bedford_, _Life, Diary, and

Letters of Thomas Moore_, _Correspondence of Charles James Fox_, and a

_Life_ of the same statesman, _Essays on the Rise and Progress of the

Christian Religion in the West of Europe_ (1873), and _Recollections and

Suggestions_ (1875).

RUSSELL, WILLIAM (1741-1793).--Historian, _b._ in Selkirkshire, and

apprenticed to a bookseller in Edin., he was patronised by Lord Elibank,

and went to London, where he followed literature as a profession. He

wrote poems and fables, a _History of America_ (1779), and a _History of

Modern Europe_, which he left unfinished.

RUSSELL, SIR WILLIAM HOWARD (1821-1907).--War correspondent, _b._ in Co.

Dublin, was called to the Bar in 1850. Having joined the staff of the

_Times_, he was sent as war correspondent to the Crimea, his letters from

which caused a profound sensation, and led to an improved condition of

things in regard to the army. He was also correspondent in India during

the Mutiny, in America during the Civil War, and during the

Austro-Prussian War of 1866, and the Franco-German War of 1870-71, in

South Africa in 1879, and in Egypt in 1883. Among his books are _The

Adventures of Dr. Brady_ (1868), _Hesperothen_ (1882), _A Visit to Chili_

(1890), and _The Great War with Russia_ (1895). He was knighted in 1895,

and also received various foreign decorations.

RUTHERFORD, SAMUEL (1600?-1661).--Theologian and controversialist, _b._

at Nisbet, Roxburghshire, _ed._ at Edin. Univ., where he became in 1623

Regent of Humanity (Prof. of Latin). In 1627 he was settled as minister

of Anwoth in Galloway, whence he was banished to Aberdeen for

nonconformity. On the re-establishment of Presbytery in 1638 he was made

Prof. of Divinity at St. Andrews, and in 1651 Principal of St. Mary's

Coll. there, and he was one of the Scottish Commissioners to the

Westminster Assembly. At the Restoration he was deprived of all his

offices. He was a formidable controversialist, and a strenuous upholder

of the divine right of Presbytery. Among his polemical works are _Due

Right of Presbyteries_ (1644), _Lex Rex_ (1644), and _Free Disputation

against Pretended Liberty of Conscience_. _Lex Rex_ was, after the

Restoration, burned by the common hangman, and led to the citation of the

author for high treason, which his death prevented from taking effect.

His chief fame, however, rests upon his spiritual and devotional works,

such as _Christ Dying and drawing Sinners to Himself_, but especially

upon his _Letters_, which display a fervour of feeling and a rich imagery

which, while highly relished by some, repel others.

RYCAUT, or RICAUT, SIR PAUL (1628-1700).--Historian, was at Camb., and

held various diplomatic positions. He wrote _Present State of the Ottoman

Empire_ (1668), and a continuation of _Knolles's General Historie of the

Turks_, and translated Platina's _Latin History of the Popes_.

RYMER, THOMAS (1641-1713).--Archæologist and critic, _ed._ at Camb.,

became a barrister at Gray's Inn. He _pub._ in 1678 _Tragedies of the

last Age Considered_, in which he passed judgments, very unfavourable,

upon their authors, including Shakespeare. He was of much more use as the

collector of English treaties, which he _pub._ under the title of

_Fædera_, in 20 vols., the last 5 of which were ed. after his death by R.

Sanderson (_q.v._). R. also _pub._ poems and a play, _Edgar_. He held the

office of historiographer to William III. His learning and industry have

received the recognition of many subsequent historians.

ST. JOHN, H., (_see_ BOLINGBROKE).

SALA, GEORGE AUGUSTUS HENRY (1828-1895).--Journalist and novelist, _b._

in London of Italian ancestry, began life as an illustrator of books and

scene-painter, afterwards taking to literature. He contributed to many

periodicals, including _Household Words_, and the _Illustrated London

News_, and was the founder and first ed. of _Temple Bar_. Among his

novels were _The Buddington Peerage_ and _Quite Alone_. He also wrote

books of travel, and an autobiographical work, his _Life and Adventures_

(1895).

SALE, GEORGE (1697?-1736).--Orientalist, a Kentish man, and practising

solicitor. In 1734 he _pub._ a translation of the _Koran_. He also

assisted in the _Universal History_, and was one of the correctors of the

Arabic New Testament issued by the S.P.C.K.

SANDERSON, ROBERT (1587-1663).--Theologian and casuist, _b._ of good

family at Rotherham in Yorkshire, was at Oxf. Entering the Church he rose

to be Bishop of Lincoln. His work on logic, _Logicæ Artis Compendium_

(1615), was long a standard treatise on the subject. His sermons also

were admired; but he is perhaps best remembered by his _Nine Cases of

Conscience Resolved_ (1678), in consideration of which he has been placed

at the head of English casuists. He left large collections of historical

and heraldic matter in MS.

SANDS, ROBERT CHARLES (1799-1832).--Miscellaneous writer, _b._ at New

York, was a scholarly and versatile writer, but without much originality.

His best work is in his short stories. His chief poem was _Yamoyden_, an

Indian story written in collaboration with a friend.

SANDYS, GEORGE (1578-1644).--Traveller and translator, _s._ of an

Archbishop of York, _b._ at Bishopsthorpe, and _ed._ at Oxf., is one of

the best of the earlier travellers, learned, observant, and truth-loving.

He _pub._ in 1615 an account of his journeys in the East which was highly

popular. He also translated when in America the _Metamorphoses_ of Ovid,

produced a metrical _Paraphrase on the Psalms_, with music by Henry

Lawes, and another on the Canticles, and wrote _Christ's Passion_, a

tragedy. He held various public offices, chiefly in connection with the

colony of Virginia.

SAVAGE, RICHARD (1697?-1743).--Poet, was probably of humble birth, but

claimed to be the illegitimate _s._ of the Countess of Macclesfield. He

was the friend of Johnson in the early and miserable days of the latter

in London; and in _The Lives of the Poets_ J. has given his story as set

forth by himself, which is, if true, a singular record of maternal

cruelty. There are strong reasons, however, for doubting whether it was

anything but a tissue of falsehoods mingled with gross exaggerations of

fact. He led a wildly irregular life, killed a gentleman in a tavern

brawl, for which he was sentenced to death, but pardoned; and by his

waywardness alienated nearly all who wished to befriend him. For a time

he had a pension of £50 from Queen Caroline on condition of his writing

an ode yearly on her birthday. He wrote _Love in a Veil_ (1718) (comedy)

and _Sir Thomas Overbury_ (1723) (tragedy), and two poems, _The Bastard_

(1728) and _The Wanderer_ (1729). He _d._ in prison at Bristol.

SAVILE, SIR HENRY (1549-1622).--Scholar, _ed._ at Oxf., where he lectured

on mathematics. He was afterwards Warden of Merton Coll. and Provost of

Eton, and made a translation from Tacitus entitled, _The Ende of Nero and

Beginning of Galba, etc._ (1581), and in the same year _pub._ _Rerum

Anglicarum Scriptores post Bedam Præcipui_, a collection of some of the

chronicles subsequent to Bede, William of Malmesbury, Roger of Hoveden,

etc. He founded the Savilian Professorship of Astronomy and Geometry at

Oxf.

SAXBY, EDWARD (_d._ 1658).--_B._ in Suffolk, and was in Cromwell's Horse.

His extreme republican views, however, led him into the bitterest

antagonism when C. assumed the Protectorship. This received expression in

his extraordinary pamphlet, _Killing no Murder_, in which the

assassination of C. is advocated, and which displays in a remarkable

degree perverted ingenuity of argument combined with considerable

literary power. S. _d._ demented in the Tower in 1658.

SCOTT, ALEXANDER (1525?-1584?).--Scottish poet. Almost nothing is known

of his life, but he is believed to have spent most of his time in or near

Edin. Thirty-six short poems are attributed to him, including _Ane New

Yeir Gift to Quene Mary_, _The Rondel of Love_, and a satire, _Justing at

the Drum_. He has great variety of metre, and is graceful and musical,

but his satirical pieces are often extremely coarse.

SCOTT, HUGH STOWELL (1863?-1903).--Novelist (under the name of Henry

Seton Merriman). He was an underwriter in Lloyd's, but having a strong

literary bent, latterly devoted himself to writing novels, many of which

had great popularity. They include _The Slave of the Lamp_ (1892), _The

Sowers_ (generally considered his best) (1896), _In Kedar's Tents_

(1897), _Roden's Corner_ (1898), _Isle of Unrest_ (1900), _The Velvet

Glove_ (1901), _The Vultures_ (1902), and _Barlasch of the Guard_ (1903).

He worked with great care, and his best books hold a high place in modern

fiction. He was unusually modest and retiring in character.

SCOTT, JOHN (1730-1783).--Poet, _s._ of a Quaker draper who in his later

years lived at Amwell, a village in Herts, which the poet celebrates in

his descriptive poem, _Amwell_. He wrote much other verse now forgotten.

SCOTT, LADY JOHN (ALICIA ANN SPOTTISWOODE) (1801-1900).--_M._ Lord John

Scott. She was the writer of a number of Scottish songs characterised by

true poetic feeling. Among them may be mentioned _Annie Laurie_,

_Douglas_, and _Durrisdeer_. She also composed the music for them.

SCOTT, MICHAEL (1789-1835).--Novelist, _b._ near and _ed._ at Glasgow,

and settled in business at Kingston, Jamaica, which led to his making

frequent sea voyages, and thus yielded him experiences which he turned to

account in two vivacious novels, _Tom Cringle's Log_ and _The Cruise of

the Midge_, both of which first appeared in _Blackwood's Magazine_, where

they attained deserved popularity. They have frequently been reprinted.

The author, however, maintained a strict _incognito_ during his life.

SCOTT, SIR WALTER (1771-1832).--Poet, novelist, and biographer, _s._ of

Walter S., a Writer to the Signet in Edinburgh, and Margaret Rutherford,

_dau._ of one of the Prof. of Medicine in the Univ. there. Through both

parents he was connected with several old Border families; his _f._ was a

scion of the Scotts of Harden, well known in Border history. In early

childhood he suffered from a severe fever, one of the effects of which

was a permanent lameness, and for some time he was delicate. The native

vigour of his constitution, however, soon asserted itself, and he became

a man of exceptional strength. Much of his childhood was spent at his

grandfather's farm at Sandyknowe, Roxburghshire, and almost from the dawn

of intelligence he began to show an interest in the traditionary lore

which was to have so powerful an influence on his future life, an

interest which was nourished and stimulated by several of the older

members of his family, especially one of his aunts. At this stage he was

a quick-witted, excitable child, who required rather to be restrained

than pressed forward. At the age of 7 he was strong enough to be sent to

the High School of Edinburgh, where he was more remarkable for

miscellaneous and out-of-the-way knowledge and his powers of

story-telling than for proficiency in the ordinary course of study; and

notwithstanding his lameness, he was to be found in the forefront

wherever adventure or fighting were to be had. Thereafter he was for

three sessions at the Univ., where he bore much the same character as at

school. He was, however, far from idle, and was all the time following

the irresistible bent, which ultimately led to such brilliant results, in

a course of insatiable reading of ballads and romances, to enlarge which

he had by the time he was 15 acquired a working knowledge of French and

Italian, and had made the acquaintance of Dante and Ariosto in the

original. Percy's _Reliques of Ancient Poetry_, _pub._ in 1765, came into

his hands in 1784, and proved one of the most formative influences of

this period. At 15 he was apprenticed to his _f._, but preferring the

higher branch of the profession, he studied for the Bar, to which he was

called in 1792. He did not, however, forego his favourite studies, but

ransacked the Advocates' Library for old manuscripts, in the deciphering

of which he became so expert that his assistance soon came to be invoked

by antiquarians of much longer standing. Although he worked hard at law

his ideal was not the attainment of an extensive practice, but rather of

a fairly paid post which should leave him leisure for his favourite

pursuits, and this he succeeded in reaching, being appointed first in

1799 Sheriff of Selkirk, and next in 1812 one of the Principal Clerks to

the Court of Session, which together brought him an income of £1600.

Meanwhile in 1795 he had translated Bürger's ballad of _Lenore_, and in

the following year he made his first appearance in print by publishing it

along with a translation of _The Wild Huntsman_ by the same author. About

the same time he made the acquaintance of "Monk" Lewis, to whose

collection of _Tales of Wonder_ he contributed the ballads of

_Glenfinlas_, _The Eve of St. John_, and _The Grey Brother_; and he _pub._

in 1799 a translation of Goethe's _Goetz von Berlichingen_. In 1797 he

was _m._ to Miss Charlotte Margaret Charpentier, the _dau._ of a French

gentleman of good position. The year 1802 saw the publication of Scott's

first work of real importance, _The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border_,

of which 2 vols. appeared, the third following in the next year. In 1804

he went to reside at Ashestiel on the Tweed, where he ed. the old

romance, _Sir Tristrem_, and in 1805 he produced his first great original

work, _The Lay of the Last Minstrel_, which was received with great

favour, and decided that literature was thenceforth to be the main work

of his life. In the same year the first few chapters of _Waverley_ were

written; but the unfavourable opinion of a friend led to the MS. being

laid aside for nearly 10 years. In 1806 S. began, by a secret

partnership, that association with the Ballantynes which resulted so

unfortunately for him 20 years later. _Marmion_ was _pub._ in 1808: it

was even more popular than the _Lay_, and raised his reputation

proportionately. The same year saw the publication of his elaborate ed.

of Dryden with a Life, and was also marked by a rupture with Jeffrey,

with whom he had been associated as a contributor to the _Edinburgh

Review_, and by the establishment of the new firm of J. Ballantyne and

Co., of which the first important publication was _The Lady of the Lake_,

which appeared in 1810, _The Vision of Don Roderick_ following in 1811.

In 1812 S. purchased land on the Tweed near Melrose, and built his famous

house, Abbotsford, the adornment of which became one of the chief

pleasures of his life, and which he made the scene of a noble and kindly

hospitality. In the same year he _pub._ _Rokeby_, and in 1813 _The Bridal

of Triermain_, while 1814 saw _The Life and Works of Swift_ in 19 vols.,

and was made illustrious by the appearance of _Waverley_, the two coming

out in the same week, the latter, of course, like its successors,

anonymously. The next year, _The Lord of the Isles_, _Guy Mannering_, and

_The Field of Waterloo_ appeared, and the next again, 1816, _Paul's

Letters to his Kinsfolk_, _The Antiquary_, _The Black Dwarf_, and _Old

Mortality_, while 1817 saw _Harold the Dauntless_ and _Rob Roy_. The

enormous strain which S. had been undergoing as official, man of letters,

and man of business, began at length to tell upon him, and in this same

year, 1817, he had the first of a series of severe seizures of cramp in

the stomach, to which, however, his indomitable spirit refused to yield,

and several of his next works, _The Heart of Midlothian_ (1818), by many

considered his masterpiece, _The Bride of Lammermoor_, _The Legend of

Montrose_, and _Ivanhoe_, all of 1819, were dictated to amanuenses, while

he was too ill to hold a pen. In 1820 _The Monastery_, in which the

public began to detect a falling off in the powers of the still generally

unknown author, appeared. The immediately following _Abbot_, however,

showed a recovery. _Kenilworth_ and _The Pirate_ followed in 1821, _The

Fortunes of Nigel_ in 1822; _Peveril of the Peak_, _Quentin Durward_, and

_St. Ronan's Well_ in 1823; _Redgauntlet_ in 1824, and _Tales of the

Crusaders_ (_The Betrothed_ and _The Talisman_) in 1825. By this time S.

had long reached a pinnacle of fame such as perhaps no British man of

letters has ever attained during his lifetime. He had for a time been the

most admired poet of his day, and though latterly somewhat eclipsed by

Byron, he still retained great fame as a poet. He also possessed a great

reputation as an antiquary, one of the chief revivers of interest in our

ancient literature, and as the biographer and ed. of several of our great

writers; while the incognito which he maintained in regard to his novels

was to many a very partial veil. The unprecedented profits of his

writings had made him, as he believed, a man of wealth; his social

prestige was immense; he had in 1820 been made a baronet, when that was

still a real distinction, and he had been the acknowledged representative

of his country when the King visited it in 1822. All this was now to

change, and the fabric of prosperity which he had raised by his genius

and labour, and which had never spoiled the simplicity and generosity of

his character, was suddenly to crumble into ruin with, however, the

result of revealing him as the possessor of qualities even greater and

nobler than any he had shown in his happier days. The publishing and

printing firms with which he had been connected fell in the commercial

crisis of 1826, and S. found himself at 55, and with failing health,

involved in liabilities amounting to £130,000. Never was adversity more

manfully and gallantly met. Notwithstanding the crushing magnitude of the

disaster and the concurrent sorrow of his wife's illness, which soon

issued in her death, he deliberately set himself to the herculean task of

working off his debts, asking only that time might be given him. The

secret of his authorship was now, of course, revealed, and his efforts

were crowned with a marvellous measure of success. _Woodstock_, his first

publication after the crash, appeared in the same year and brought £8000;

by 1828 he had earned £40,000. In 1827 _The Two Drovers_, _The Highland

Widow_, and _The Surgeon's Daughter_, forming the first series of

_Chronicles of the Canongate_, appeared together with _The Life of

Napoleon_ in 9 vols., and the first series of _Tales of a Grandfather_;

in 1828 _The Fair Maid of Perth_ and the second series of _Tales of a

Grandfather_, _Anne of Geierstein_, a third series of the _Tales_, and

the commencement of a complete ed. of the novels in 1829; a fourth and

last series of _Tales_, _History of Scotland_, and other work in 1830.

Then at last the overworked brain gave way, and during this year he had

more than one paralytic seizure. He was sent abroad for change and rest,

and a Government frigate was placed at his disposal. But all was in vain;

he never recovered, and though in temporary rallies he produced two more

novels, _Count Robert of Paris_ and _Castle Dangerous_, both in 1831,

which only showed that the spell was broken, he gradually sank, and _d._

at Abbotsford on September 21, 1832.

The work which S. accomplished, whether looked at as regards its mass or

its quality, is alike marvellous. In mere amount his output in each of

the four departments of poetry, prose fiction, history and biography, and

miscellaneous literature is sufficient to fill an ordinary literary life.

Indeed the quantity of his acknowledged work in other departments was

held to be the strongest argument against the possibility of his being

the author of the novels. The achievement of such a result demanded a

power of steady, methodical, and rapid work almost unparalleled in the

history of literature. When we turn to its quality we are struck by the

range of subject and the variableness of the treatment. In general there

is the same fulness of mind directed by strong practical sense and

judgment, but the style is often heavy, loose, and even slipshod, and in

most of his works there are "patches" in which he falls far below his

best. His poetry, though as a whole belonging to the second class, is

full of broad and bold effects, picturesqueness, and an irresistible rush

and freshness. As a lyrist, however, he stands much higher, and in such

gems as "Proud Maisie" and "A weary lot is thine, Fair Maid," he takes

his place among our greatest singers. His chief fame rests, of course,

upon the novels. Here also, however, there is the same inequality and

irregularity, but there is a singular command over his genius in virtue

of which the fusing, creating imagination responds to his call, and is at

its greatest just where it is most needed. For the variety, truth, and

aliveness of his characters he has probably no equal since Shakespeare,

and though, of course, coming far behind, he resembles him alike in his

range and in his insight. The most remarkable feature in his character is

the union of an imagination of the first order with practical sagacity

and manly sanity, in this also resembling his great predecessor.

SUMMARY.--_B._ 1771, _ed._ Edin., called to Bar 1792, Sheriff of Selkirk

1799, Principal Clerk of Session 1812, first _pub._ translation of

_Lenore_, etc., wrote ballads and made translation from German, _pub.

Minstrelsy of Scottish Border_ 1802-3, _Lay of Last Minstrel_ 1805, began

_Waverley_ 1805, partner with Ballantynes 1806, _pub._ _Marmion_ 1808,

_Lady of Lake_ 1810, began to build Abbotsford 1812, Waverley novels

began and continued 1814-31, health began to fail 1817, made Baronet

1820, ruined by failure of Ballantynes 1826, devotes rest of his life to

clearing off debt by novels and historical works, _Tales of a

Grandfather_, _Life of Napoleon_, etc., health finally gave way 1830,

_d._ 1832.

The great authority is the _Life_ by Lockhart, but it has been

supplemented by the _Journal_ (1890) and _Letters_ (1893). Short _Lives_

by C. Gilfillan, R.H. Hutton, etc., etc.

SCOTT, WILLIAM BELL (1811-1890).--Poet and painter, _s._ of Robert S., an

engraver, and brother of David S., painter, _b._ in Edin., settled in

London, and painted chiefly historical subjects. He _pub._ five vols. of

poetry, including _Hades_ and _The Year of the World_, and many fine

sonnets, a form of poetry in which he excelled, and in prose _Half-hour

Lectures on Art_ and _The Little Masters_ in the Great Artists Series. He

also ed. a series of "English Poets," and wrote a Life of his brother and

one of Albrecht Dürer, etc.

SEDLEY, SIR CHARLES (1639?-1701).--Poet, _s._ and heir of a Kentish

baronet, was at Oxf. and, coming to the Court of Charles II., became one

of the most popular and brilliant members of its dissipated circles. He

was the author of two tragedies and three comedies, now forgotten, though

extravagantly lauded in their day, and of some poems and songs, of which

the best known are _Phyllis_ and _Chloris_. His only child was the witty

and profligate Catherine S., mistress of James II., who created her

Countess of Dorset. _Bellamira_ and _The Mulberry Garden_, founded

respectively on Terence and Molière, are his best plays. His prose in

pamphlets and essays is better than his verse.

SEELEY, SIR JOHN ROBERT (1834-1895).--Historian and essayist, _s._ of a

publisher in London, _ed._ at City of London School and Camb. In 1863 he

became Prof. of Latin at Univ. Coll., London, and was Prof. of Modern

History at Camb. from 1869 until his death. In 1865 appeared anonymously

_Ecce Homo_, a work which created intense excitement and keen controversy

in the theological and religious world. Other works were _The Life and

Times of Stein_, the Prussian statesman (1879), _Natural Religion_

(1882), _The Expansion of England_ (1883), _Life of Napoleon_ (1885), and

a work on Goethe. _The Growth of British Policy_ (1895) was left finished

but unrevised at his death. In recognition of his services to the empire

in his political writings he was, in 1894, made K.C.M.G.

SELDEN, JOHN (1584-1654).--Jurist and scholar, _b._ near Worthing,

Sussex, the _s._ of a farmer who was also a musician, _ed._ at Chichester

and Oxf., and studied law at Clifford's Inn and the Inner Temple. His

learning soon attracted attention and, though practising little, he was

consulted on points involving legal erudition. His first work, _Analecton

Anglo-Britannicon_, a chronological collection of English records down to

the Norman invasion, was written in 1606, though not _pub._ till 1615. In

1610 appeared a treatise on the _Duello, or Single Combat_; and in 1614

his largest English work on _Titles of Honour_, full of profound

learning, and still a high authority. Three years later, 1617, he wrote

in Latin his treatise, _De Deis Syris_ (on the Gods of Syria), an inquiry

into polytheism, specially with reference to the false deities mentioned

in Scripture. His reputation as a scholar had now become European. In

1618 he incurred the indignation of the King and the clergy by his

_History of Tithes_, in which he denied their claim to be a divine

institution. Called before the High Commission he made a statement

regretting the publication of the book though not withdrawing any of its

statements. In 1621 he suffered a brief imprisonment for withstanding

some of James's doctrines as to the privileges of Parliament. Two years

later he was elected member for Lancaster. As a politician his views were

moderate, and all along he endeavoured to repress the zeal of the

extremists on both sides. He was imprisoned in the Tower for four years,

1630-34. During the final struggle of King and Parliament he was much

employed; but like most men of moderate views, was frequently under

suspicion, and after the execution of the King, to which he was strongly

opposed, he took little to do with public matters. He was a lay member of

the Westminster Assembly, 1643, where his profound knowledge of the

original tongues made him somewhat of a terror to certain extremists

among the divines. He had at an early age been appointed steward to the

Earl of Kent, and at the house of his widow, with whom he had long lived

in such close friendship as to give rise to the belief that they were

_m._, he _d._ Among other works may be mentioned a description of the

Arundel Marbles (1629), a treatise concerning the Jewish calendar (1646),

and, specially, his _Table Talk_, _pub._ 1689, of which Coleridge said

"there is more weighty bullion sense in this book than I can find in the

same number of pages of any uninspired writer." He was likewise the

author of various treatises on constitutional matters and the law of

nations, including _Mare Clausum_ (a Closed Sea), in defence of the

property of England in its circumfluent seas. Most of these were written

in Latin.

_Coll. Works_ with _Life_, Dr. Wilkins (3 vols., folio, 1726), Aikin's

_Lives_ of Selden and Ussher.

SELLAR, WILLIAM YOUNG (1825-1890).--Scholar, _b._ in Sutherlandshire, his

_f._ being factor to the Duke of Sutherland, _ed._ at Glasgow Univ. and

Oxf., became in 1859 Prof. of Greek at St. Andrews and, in 1863, of Latin

at Edin. He _pub._ a work on the _Roman Poets of the Republic_ (1863),

followed by _The Roman Poets of the Augustan Age_. Both of these hold a

high place among modern works of scholarship.

SEMPILL, ROBERT (1530?-1595), SEMPILL, ROBERT (1595?-1659?), SEMPILL,

FRANCIS (1616?-1682).--Scottish poets, all belonging to the same family,

the last two being _f._ and _s._ The first was mainly a satirist, was in

Paris at the massacre of St. Bartholomew, and belonged to the extremist

division of the Reforming party, _The Regente's Tragedy_ laments the

death of Murray, _Ane Complaint upon Fortoun_, the fall of Morton. The

second Robert wrote _The Life and Death of Habbie Simson, the Piper_, a

humorous description of old Scottish life. Francis wrote occasional

pieces. The song _She Rose and let me in_, formerly attributed to him, is

now known to be by Tom D'Urfey (_q.v._).

SENIOR, NASSAU WILLIAM (1790-1864).--Economist and essayist, _s._ of a

clergyman, was _b._ at Compton Beauchamp, Berks, _ed._ at Eton and Oxf.,

studied law, and was called to the Bar in 1819. He twice held the

Professorship of Political Economy at Oxf., 1825-30 and 1847-52, rendered

important service as a member of the Poor Law Commission of 1833, and

wrote its Report. S. holds a high position among English economists, and

made many contributions to the literature of the science, including

_Outline of the Science of Political Economy_ (1836). He was, moreover, a

writer of considerable versatility, his works in general literature

including _Essays on Fiction_ (1864), _Historical and Philosophical

Essays_ (1865), and specially his notes of conversations with many

eminent persons, chiefly political, _e.g._, De Tocqueville, Thiers, and

Guizot, which combine fulness of information with discretion; he also

_pub._ journals of his travels in Turkey, Greece, Egypt, etc.

SETTLE, ELKANAH (1648-1724).--Poet and dramatist, _ed._ at Oxf., was the

author of a number of turgid dramas, now unreadable and unread, but which

in their day were held to rival Dryden, who pilloried S. as Doeg in the

second part of _Absalom and Achitophel_. S. essayed a reply in _Absalom

Senior_. He wrote against the Papists, but recanted, and made amends by a

_Narrative of the Popish Plot_, in which he exposed the perjuries of

Titus Oates. He was appointed City Poet. Latterly he had a booth in

Bartholomew Fair. He _d._ in the Charterhouse. His plays include

_Cambyses_ (1666), _Empress of Morocco_ (1671), _Love and Revenge_

(1675), _The Female Prelate_, _Distressed Innocence_ (1691), and the

_Ladies' Triumph_ (1718).

SHADWELL, THOMAS (1640 or 1642-1692).--Dramatist and poet, belonged to a

good Staffordshire family, was _b._ in Norfolk, _ed._ at Camb., and after

studying law travelled, and on his return became a popular dramatist.

Among his comedies, in which he displayed considerable comic power and

truth to nature, may be mentioned _The Sullen Lovers_ (1668), _Royal

Shepherdess_ (1668), _The Humourists_ (1671), and _The Miser_ (1672). He

attached himself to the Whigs, and when Dryden attacked them in _Absalom

and Achitophel_ and _The Medal_, had the temerity to assail him

scurrilously in _The Medal of John Bayes_ (1682). The castigation which

this evoked in _MacFlecknoe_ and in the second part of _Absalom and

Achitophel_, in which S. figures as "Og," has conferred upon him an

unenviable immortality. He may have found some consolation in his

succession to Dryden as Poet Laureate when, at the Revolution, the latter

was deprived of the office.

Other plays are _Epsom Wells_ (1673), _The Virtuoso_ (1676), _Lancashire

Witches_ (1681), _The Volunteers_ (1693), etc.

SHAFTESBURY, ANTHONY ASHLEY COOPER, 3RD EARL OF

(1671-1713).--Philosopher, _b._ in London, grandson of the 1st Earl, the

eminent statesman, the "Achitophel" of Dryden. After a private education

under the supervision of Locke, and a short experience of Winchester

School, he travelled much on the Continent. On succeeding to the earldom

in 1699 he took a prominent part in the debates of the House of Lords,

but devoted himself mainly to philosophical and literary pursuits. His

_coll._ writings were _pub._ in 1711 under the title of _Characteristics

of Men, Manners, Opinions, and Times_. In his philosophy he maintains, as

against Hobbes, the existence of a moral sense, a view subsequently

developed by the Scottish school of philosophy. The style of S. is

stately and sonorous but laboured. He _d._ at Naples, whither he had gone

in search of health, at the early age of 42. Though his writings are

directed strongly against Atheism, they have been held to be hostile to a

belief in revelation.

SHAIRP, JOHN CAMPBELL (1819-1885).--Poet and critic, _ed._ at Glasgow and

Oxf., became Prof. of Latin at St. Andrews 1861. Principal of the United

Coll. there 1868, and Prof. of Poetry at Oxf. 1877-87. Among his

writings are _Kilmahoe and other Poems_ (1864), _Studies in Poetry and

Philosophy_ (1868), _Culture and Religion_ (1870), and a Life of Burns in

the English Men of Letters Series. He also collaborated with Prof. Tait

in writing the Life of Principal Forbes (_q.v._), and ed. the Journal of

Dorothy Wordsworth.

SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM (1564-1616).--Dramatist and poet, _b._ at

Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, on 22nd or 23rd, and baptised on 26th

April, 1564. On his father's side he belonged to a good yeoman stock,

though his descent cannot be certainly traced beyond his grandfather, a

Richard S., settled at Snitterfield, near Stratford. His _f._, John S.,

appears to have been a man of intelligence and energy, who set up in

Stratford as a dealer in all kinds of agricultural produce, to which he

added the trade of a glover. He became prosperous, and gained the respect

of his neighbours, as is evidenced by his election in succession to all

the municipal honours of his community, including those of chief alderman

and high bailiff. He _m._ Mary, youngest _dau._ of Robert Arden, a

wealthy farmer at Wilmcote, and a younger branch of a family of

considerable distinction, and whose tenant Richard S. had been. On her

father's death Mary inherited Asbies, a house with 50 acres of land

attached to it. The first children of the marriage were two _dau._, who

_d._ in infancy. William was the third, and others followed, of whom

three sons, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and a _dau._ Joan, reached

maturity. He was _ed._ with his brother Gilbert at Stratford Grammar

School, where he learned Latin from Lilly's Grammar, English, writing,

and arithmetic. He probably read some of the Latin classics and may have

got a little Greek, and though his learned friend Ben Jonson credits him

with "little Latin and less Greek," Aubrey says he "knew Latin pretty

well." This happy state of matters continued until he was about 13, when

his _f._ fell into misfortune, which appears to have gone on deepening

until the success and prosperity of the poet in later years enabled him

to reinstate the family in its former position. Meanwhile, however, he

was taken from school, and appears to have been made to assist his _f._

in his business. The next certain fact in his history is his marriage in

November, 1582, when he was 18, to Ann Hathaway, _dau._ of a yeoman at

the neighbouring hamlet of Shottery, and 8 years his senior. Various

circumstances point to the marriage having been against the wishes of his

own family, and pressed on by that of his wife, and that it was so urged

in defence of the reputation of the lady, and as perhaps might be

expected, they indicate, though not conclusively, that it did not prove

altogether happy. The birth, in May, 1583, of his eldest child Susannah

(who is said to have inherited something of his wit and practical

ability, and who _m._ a Dr. John Hall), followed in the next year by that

of twins, Hamnet and Judith, and the necessity of increased means, led to

his departure from Stratford, whence he travelled on foot to London,

where the next 23 years of his life were mainly spent. The tradition that

his departure was also caused by trouble into which he had got by killing

the deer of Sir Thomas Lucy, of Charlcote, is credible. Leaving Stratford

in 1585 or the beginning of 1586, he seems at once to have turned to the

theatres, where he soon found work, although, as Rowe, his first

biographer, says, "in a very mean rank." It was not long, however,

before he had opportunities of showing his capacities as an actor, with

the result that he shortly became a member of one of the chief acting

companies of the day, which was then under the patronage of the Earl of

Leicester, and after being associated with the names of various other

noblemen, at last on the accession of James I. became known as the King's

Company. It played originally in "The Theatre" in Shoreditch, the first

playhouse to be erected in England, and afterwards in the "Rose" on the

Bankside, Southwark, the scene of the earliest successes of S. as an

actor and playwright. Subsequently to 1594, he acted occasionally in a

playhouse in Newington Butts, and between 1595 and 1599 in the "Curtain."

In the latter year the "Globe" was built on the Bankside, and 10 years

later the "Blackfriars:" and with these two, but especially with the

former, the remainder of his professional life was associated. It is not

unlikely that he visited various provincial towns; but that he was ever

in Scotland or on the Continent is improbable. Among the plays in which

he appeared were Jonson's _Every Man in his Humour_ and _Sejanus_, and in

_Hamlet_ he played "The Ghost;" and it is said that his brother Gilbert

as an old man remembered his appearing as "Adam" in _As You Like It_. By

1595 S. was famous and prosperous; his earlier plays had been written and

acted, and his poems _Venus and Adonis_, and _Lucrece_, and probably most

of the sonnets, had been _pub._ and received with extraordinary favour.

He had also powerful friends and patrons, including the Earl of

Southampton, and was known at Court. By the end of the century he is

mentioned by Francis Meres (_q.v._) as the greatest man of letters of the

day, and his name had become so valuable that it was affixed by

unscrupulous publishers to works, _e.g._ _Locrine_, _Oldcastle_, and _The

Yorkshire Tragedy_, by other and often very inferior hands. He had also

resumed a close connection with Stratford, and was making the restoration

of the family position there the object of his ambition. In accordance

with this he induced his _f._ to apply for a grant of arms, which was

given, and he purchased New Place, the largest house in the village. With

the income derived from his profession as an actor and dramatist, and his

share of the profits of the Globe and Blackfriars theatres, and in view

of the business capacity with which he managed his affairs, he may be

regarded as almost a wealthy man, and he went on adding to his influence

in Stratford by buying land. He had enjoyed the favour of Elizabeth, and

her death in 1603 did nothing to disturb his fortunes, as he stood quite

as well with her successor. His company received the title of the "King's

Servants," and his plays were frequently performed before the Court. But

notwithstanding this, the clouds had gathered over his life. The

conspiracy of Essex in 1601 had involved several of his friends and

patrons in disaster; he had himself been entangled in the unhappy love

affair which is supposed to be referred to in some of his sonnets, and he

had suffered unkindness at the hands of a friend. For a few years his

dramas breathe the darkness and bitterness of a heart which has been

sounding the depths of sad experience. He soon, however, emerged from

this and, passing through the period of the great tragedies, reached the

serene triumph and peace of his later dramas. In 1611 S. severed his long

connection with the stage, and retired to Stratford, where the remaining

five years of his life were spent in honour and prosperity. Early in 1616

his health began to give way, and he made his will. In the spring he

received a visit from his friends, Jonson and Drayton, and the festivity

with which it was celebrated seems to have brought on a fever, of which

he _d._ on April 23. He was survived by his wife and his two _dau._, both

of whom were married. His descendants _d._ out with his grand-daughter,

Elizabeth Hall.

Immense research has been spent upon the writings of S., with the result

of substantial agreement as to the order of their production and the

sources from which their subjects were drawn; for S. rarely troubled

himself with the construction of a story, but adopting one already

existing reared upon it as a foundation one of those marvellous

superstructures which make him the greatest painter and interpreter of

human character the world has ever seen. His period of literary

production extends from about 1588 to 1613, and falls naturally into four

divisions, which Prof. Dowden has named, "In the Workshop" ending in

1596; "In the World" 1596-1601; "Out of the Depths" 1601-1608; and "On

the Heights" 1608-1613. Of the 37 plays usually attributed to him, 16

only were _pub._ during his lifetime, so that the exact order in which

they were produced cannot always be determined with certainty. Recent

authorities are agreed to the extent that while they do not invariably

place the individual plays in the same order, they are almost entirely at

one as to which belong to the four periods respectively. The following

list shows in a condensed form the order according to Mr. Sidney Lee

(_Dictionary of National Biography_) with the most probable dates and the

original sources on which the plays are founded.