Scots, in 1586. This unfortunate lady, born in 1541, and the only remaining child of James the Vth of Scotland, having been expelled by her fubjects, and deprived not only of her royal authority, but alfo of her liberty and eftate, came poor and defolate into England, trufting to Elizabeth's promifes of protection and kindnefs. The queen received her very well, and ordered at first that fhe fhould be treated like a queen: but afterwards the kept her a clofe prifoner, and, under pretence that Mary had confpired against her life, the had her tried, condemned, and executed. And what aggravates Elizabeth's guilt, is the extreme diffimulation the ufed in the management of this affair. For fhe no fooner received the news of Mary's execution, than fhe abandoned herself to grief and melancholy, put on deep mourning, feverely rebuked her council, commanded them out of her prefence, and ordered her fecretary Davifon, who, without knowing it, was made her agent and inftrument in this affair, to be tried in the Star-Chamber.

Her reign continued 44 years, 4 months, and 6 days: and though it abounded in great actions, which carried the British name to the highest pitch of glory, and was covered with innumerable bleffings, yet it ended in a moft difinal melancholy. She died March 24, 1603, in her 70th year.

ELLYS (Dr. ANTHONY), an English bishop, was born in 1693, and educated at Clare-Hall, Cambridge. In 1724, he became vicar of St. Olave, Jewry, and rector of St. Martin, Ironmonger-Lane. In 1725, he was prefented by chancellor Macclesfield, to whom he is faid to have been chaplain, to a prebend's ftall at Gloucefter; and in 1728, when George II. went to Cambridge, was favoured with the degree of doctor in divinity. In 1752, he was promoted to the fee of St. David's. He died at Gloucester in 1761, and was buried in the cathedral there, with a neat pyramidal monument and an infcription over him. Befides three occafional Sermons (one before the Commons on Jan. 30, 1749; another before the Lords on Jan. 30, 1754; and another before the Society for the Propagation of the Gofpel in Foreign Parts, in 1759); he had published, in 1736, "A Plea for the Sacramental Teft, as a

juft fecurity to the Church established, and very conducive to the "welfare of the State," 4to; and "Remarks on Hume's Effay "on Miracles," without name or date. He left alfo behind him ready for the press, "Tracts on the Liberty fpiritual and temporal "of Proteftants in England, addreffed to J. N. Efq. at Aix-laChapelle;" the first part whereof was printed in 1763, the fecond in 1765.

ELMACINUS (GEORGE), author of a hiftory of the Saracens, or rather a chronology of the Mahometan empire, was born in Egypt, towards the middle of the 13th century. His hiftory

comes

ELSHEIMER.-ELSTOB.

41

comes down from Mahomet to the year of the Hegira 512, that is, to A. D. 1118: in which he fets down year by year, in a very concife manner, what concerns the Saracen empire; and intermixes therewith fome paffages of the Eastern Chriftians, keeping principally to Arabia, Syria, Egypt, and Perfia. His qualities and merit muft needs have been very confpicuous and taking, fince, though he profelled Chriftianity, he filled a post of diftinction and truft near the perfons of the Mahometan princes.

His hiftory has been tranflated from Arabic into Latin by Er penius, and printed in thofe two languages at Leyden, 1625, in folio. Erpenius died before the publication; and Golius took care of it, writing alfo a preface. Elmacinus began his work at the creation of the world; and Hottinger had in manufcript that part which reaches from thence to the flight of Mahomet.

ELSHEIMER (ADAM), a celebrated painter, born at Frankfort upon the Maine in 1574, was a taylor's fon, and at first a difciple of Philip Uffenbach, a German: but an ardent defire of improvement carrying him to Rome, he foon became an excellent artift in landscapes, hiftories, and night-pieces, with little figures. His works are very few: and, for the incredible pains and labour which he bestowed upon them, valued at fuch prodigious rates, that they are hardly any where to be found but in the cabinets of princes. He was a perfon by nature inclined to melancholy, and through continued ftudy and thoughtfulness fo far fettled in that unhappy temper, that, neglecting his domeftic concerns, debts came thick upon him, and imprifonment followed; which ftruck fuch a damp upon his fpirits, that though he was foon released, he did not long furvive it, but died in 1610, or thereabout.

ELSTOB (William), eminent for his fkill in the Saxon language, was fon of Ralph Elitob merchant at Newcale, and born in 1673. He was educated at Eton, and admitted of CatherineHall, Cambridge; but, the air of that country not agreeing with him, he removed to Queen's-College, Oxford; and was thence chofen fellow of Univertity-College, where he was joint-tutor with Dr. Clavering, afterwards bithop of Peterborough. He was rector of the united parifhes of St. Swithin and St. Mary Bothaw, London, 1702; where he died in 1714. He tranflated into Latin the Saxon Homily of Lupus, dated 1701, with notes, for Dr. Hickes; and into English Sir John Cheke's Latin tranflation of Plutarch "De Superftitione," printed at the end of Strype's Life of Cheke. He published Afcham's Latin Letters, 1703, at Oxford, 8vo; and was author of "An Effay on the great affinity and mutual agreement of the two profeffions of Law and Divinity," with a preface by Dr. Hickes. He had many defigns in view; but his moft confiderable was an edition of the Saxon laws, with great additions, VOL. V. F

and

and a new Latin verfion by Somner, notes of various learned men, and a prefatory history of the origin and progrefs of the English laws down to the Conqueror, and to Magna Charta: which plan was afterwards completed by Dr. David Wilkins in 1721.

ELSTOB (ELIZABETH), fifter of the above, and a famous Saxoniit alfo, was born in 1683. Her mother, to whom the owed the rudiments of her extraordinary education, dying when the was but eight years old, her guardians difcouraged her progrefs in literature, as improper for her fex: and, after her brother's death, fhe met with fo little patronage, and fo many difappointments, that she retired to Evelham in Worcestershire, where the with difficulty fubfited fome time by keeping a fmall fchool. Three letters of hers to the lord treasurer Oxford are extant among the Harleian MSS. from which it appears that he folicited and obtained for her the queen's bounty towards printing the Saxon Homilies; and Mr. Bowyer, in 1713, printed for her "Some Teftimonics of learned men, in favour of the intended edition of the Saxon Homilies, concerning the learning of the author of thofe Homilies, and the advantages to be hoped for from an edition of them." Whether this bounty was the fame with an annuity of 211. which the had from queen Caroline, we cannot tell; but, after the death of this queen, the was fo low in her finances, as to be forced, though a miftrefs of eight languages befides her own, to fubmit to be a governefs of children. For this purpofe the was taken into the family of the uchefs dowager of Portland, in 1739; and continued there till fhe died, May 30, 1756. The Homily of St. Gregory's-Day, pubIfhed by her brother, in the Saxon language, 1709, 8vo. has her English tranflation befides his Latin one. She appears to have written the preface too, in which the aufwers the objection made to women's learning by producing" that glory of her fex," as she calls her, "Mrs. Anna Maria a Schurinan." In 1715, the publifhed a Saxon Grammar; and the had other defigns upon the anvil.

ELSYNGE (HENRY), an English gentleman, clerk of the Houfe of Commons in the reign of Charles I. was born at Battersea in Surrey in 1598; being the eldeft fon of Henry Elfynge, Efq. who was clerk of the Houfe of Lords, and a perfon of great abilities. He was educated at Weftminfter-School; and thence, in 1621, removed to Chrift-Church in Oxford, where he took the degree of bachelor of arts in 1625. Then he travelled abroad, and fpent at feveral times above feven years in foreign countries: by which he became a very accomplished perfon, and was highly efteemed by men of the higheft quality and beft judgment. He was in particular fo much valued by archbishop Laud, that his grace procured him the place of clerk of the Houfe of Commons, to which he proved of excellent ufe, as well as a fingular ornament. His difcretion and prudence were fuch, that, though the long parliament was by

faction

faction kept in continual diforder, yet his fair and temperate carriage made him commended and esteemed by all parties, how furious and oppofite foever they were among themselves. When he faw that the greater part of the houfe were imprifoned and fecluded, and that the remainder would bring the king to a trial for his life, he defired, the 26th of December 1648, to relign his place. He alleged for this his bad ftate of health; but most people understood his reafon to be, and he acknowledged it to Whitelock and other friends, because he would have no hand in the bufinefs againft the king. After having quitted his advantageous employment, he retired to his houfe at Hounflow in Middlefex, where he prefently contracted many bodily infirmities, of which he died in 1654.

He was the author of a few things, which were reckoned very good, and have been much efteemed." 1. "The ancient method and manner of holding parliaments in England, 1663." 2.“ A tract concerning the proceedings in parliament:" never published. 3. He left alfo behind him fome tracts and memorials, which his executors thought not perfect enough to be publifhed. Wood afcribes moreover to him, "A declaration or remonftrance of the ftate of the kingdom, agreed on by the lords and commons affembled in parliament, 19th of May 1642.". But this piece is not thought to have been his, on account of that virulence running through it, which was not natural to him.

ELWES (JOHN), member of three fucceffive parliaments in Berkshire; a man remarkable for his penury, and yet inferior in that refpect to his more remarkable uncle, Sir Hervey Elwes, of whom fome mention it is neceffary to make.

Providence, perhaps, has wifely ordered it, that the poffeffors of eftates thould change like the fucceffion of feafons: the day of tillage and the feed time, the harvest and the confumption of it, in due order follow each other, and, in the fcale of events, are ali neceffary alike. This fucceffion was exemplified in the character of Sir Hervey Elwes, who fucceeded to Sir Jervoife, a very worthy gentleman, who had involved, as far as they would go, all the eftates he received and left behind him. On his death, Sir Hervey found himself nominally poffeffed of fome thoufands a year, but really with an income of only one hundred pounds per annum. He faid, on his arrival at Stoke, the family feat,

that never

would he leave it till he had entirely cleared the paternal eftate;" and he lived to do that, and to realize above one hundred thousand pounds in addition. In his youth he had been given over for a confumption; fo he had no conflitution and no paffions: he was timid, fhy, and diffident in the extreme; of a thin fpare habit of body, and without a friend upon earth.

As he had no acquaintance, no books, and no turn for reading, the hoarding-up and the counting his money was his greatest joy.

F 2

The

The next to that was partridge-fetting; at which he was fo great an adept, and game was fo plentiful, that he has been known to take five hundred brace of birds in one feafon. He lived upon partridges, he and his whole little houfehold, confifting of one man and two maids. What they could not eat he turned out again, as he never gave away any thing. During the partridge season Sir Hervey and his man never miffed a day, if the weather was tolerable; and his breed of dogs being remarkably good, he feldom failed in taking great quantities of game. At all times he wore a black velvet cap much over his face, a worn-out full-dreffed fuit of clothes, and an old great coat, with worted ftockings drawn up over his knees. He rode a thin thorough-bred horfe, and the horfe and the rider both locked as if a guft of wind would have blown them away together. When the day was not fo fine as to tempt him abroad, he would walk backwards and forwards in his own hall to fave the expence of fire. If a farmer in his neighbourhood came in, he would strike a light in a tinder-box that he kept by him, and putting one fingle flick upon the grate would not add another till the first was nearly burnt out. As he had but little connection with London, he always had three or four thousand pounds at a time in his houfe. A fet of fellows, who were afterwards known by the appellation of the "Thackstead Gang,' and who were all hanged, formed a plan to rob him. They were totally unfufpected at the time, as each had fome apparent occupation during the day, and went out only at night, and when they had got intelligence of any great booty. It was the custom of Sir Hervey to go up into his bed-chamber at eight o'clock, wher, after taking a bafon of water-gruel, by the light of a small fire, he went to bed to fave the unneceffary extravagance of a candle. The gang, who knew the hour when his fervant went to the stable, leaving their horfes on the Effex fide of the river, walked acrofs, and hid themselves in the church-porch till they saw the man come up to his horfes. They then immediately fell upon him, and after fome little fruggle bound and gagged him: they then ran up towards the houfe, tied the two maids together, and going up to Sir Hervey, prefented their piftols and demanded his money. At no part of his life did Sir Hervey behave fo well as in this tranfaction. When they asked for his money, he would give them no anfwer till they had affured him that his fervant, who was a great favourite, was fafe; he then delivered them the key of a drawer, in which were fifty guineas; but they knew too well, he had much more in the house, and again threatened his life if he would not difcover where it was depofited. At length he fhewed them the place, and they turned out a large drawer, in which there were 2700 guineas; this they packed up in two large baskets, and actually carried off. Among the few acquaintances he had, was an occafional club at his own village of Stoke; and there were

members