which is added, A Defence of Sir Ifaac against the Objections that have been made to feveral Parts of his Works.' Mifcellaneous Treatife, containing feveral Mathematical Subjects."

16. " A

EMLYN (THOMAS), a learned and pious English divine, and memorable for his fufferings on the fcore of heterodoxy, was defeended from a fubftantial and reputable family, and born at Stamford in Lincolnshire, the 27th of May 1663. His parents were frequenters of the eftablifhed church, and were particularly acquainted with Cumberland, then a minifter at Stamford, afterwards bifhop of Peterborough; but, being inclined to the Puritan way, chofe to educate their fon to the miniftry among them. For this purpofe, after he had been at a private fchool four years, he was fent, in 1678, to an academy in Northamptonshire, where he continued four years more. He went in 1679 to Cambridge, and was admitted into Emanuel-College; but returned again, we know not for what reafons, to the academy. Auguft 1682, he removed to Mr. Doolittle's academy near London; and, Dec. following, made his firft effay as a preacher, at Mr. Doolittle's meeting-houfe near Cripplegate.

In 1683, he was recommended to the countefs of Donegal, a lady of great quality and eftate in the north of Ireland, but at that time living in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields; and was received into her family in the capacity of chaplain. In 1684, he went over with the countess to Belfast in Ireland, where fhe was foon after married to Sir William Franklin, and lived in great ftate and fplendor. Sir William, who had a good eftate in the west of England, offered him a confiderable living there, if he would have conformed to the established church: but this he declined, the terms of minifterial conformity being fuch as he could not confcientiously comply with, though he had not then thofe fcruples about the Trinity which he conceived afterwards. While he was in this ftation, he made a journey to Dublin, and there preached once to a congregation, of which Mr. Daniel Williams and Mr. Jofeph Boyfe were then paftors, in fo acceptable a manner, as gave occafion afterwards to their inviting him thither.

In 1688, Ireland being thrown into great confufion and diforder, Sir William's family broke up, and our author returned to London. Now being out of employment, he was invited by Sir Robert Rich, one of the lords of the admiralty, to his houfe near Beccles in Suffolk; and was by him prevailed on to officiate as minister to a disfenting congregation at Leofloff in that county, which place he fupplied for about a year and a half. Here he contracted a clofe and intimate acquaintance with Mr. William Manning, a-nonconformist minifter in that neighbourhood: and, as they were both of inquifitive tempers, they frequently conferred together, and jointly feached into the principal points of religion. Dr. Sherlock's book of the "Vindication of the Trinity," coming out about this time,

turned

EMLYN-(Thomas).

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turned their thoughts very much to the confideration of that fubject: which they examined into the more, because they faw reafon first to doubt of, and afterwards to differ from, the received doctrine in that article. Mr. Manning became a Socinian, and ftrove hard to make Mr. Emlyn one; but Mr. Emlyn never could be brought to doubt either of the pre-existence of our Saviour, as the Logos, or that God created the material world by him.

King James having fled into France, and Ireland being almoft reduced by king William, affairs began to fettle in that kingdom, and the Proteftant congregations to re-affemble in large numbers. Upon which Mr. Boyfe again preffed Mr. Emlyn to accept the paftoral care jointly with himself of that congregation at Dublin. Mr. Emlyn now accepted it; and, in purfuance hereof, went over to Dublin, where he arrived in May 1691. In 1694, he married Mrs. Efther Bury, a widow lady with a good jointure, and one of the daughters and co-heireffes of Mr. David Sollom, a gentleman of fortune in the county of Meath. Mr. Emlyn was very happy in his wife; but he did not live many years with him, dying in 1701, and leaving him two children.

In confequence of fome fufpicions of Dr. Duncan Commins, a phyfician in Dublin, who accufed Mr. Emlyn of heterodox notions, he was immediately prohibited from preaching; and, a few days after, obliged to withdraw himself into England. His back was no fooner turned, than the pulpits founded with herefy and blafphemy to beget abhorrence; and the loudest clamours were raised against him and his opinions.

When he arrived at London, he published a fhort account of his cafe, which is annexed to "A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Diffenting Minifters of Dublin against him, &c." And, after about ten weeks abfence, returned to his family, which he had left at Dublin.. Here finding the prodigious odium his opinions, and confequently himfelf, lay under, he had a mind to fhew what evidence he had for them from the fcriptures; and with this view wrote, "An Humble Inquiry into the Scripture-Account of Jefus Chrift, or, A Short Argument concerning his Deity and Glory according to the Gofpel," intending for England as foon as it was printed. Of this fome zealous Diffenters getting notice, refolved to have him profecuted and one immediately obtained the lord chief justice, Sir Richard Pine's, fpecial warrant to 'feize him and his books, and went with the keeper of Newgate to execute it on him. The chief juftice refused at firft to take bail, but at last allowed two fufficient perfons to be bound, in a recognizance of 8ool. for his appearance. He appeared accordingly to take his trial for this book, before the court of Queen's-Bench, the 14th of June 1703; but was told, he fays, before the court fat, by Sir Richard Levins, afterwards lord chief juftice of the CommonPleas, that he found he would not be permitted to fpeak freely,

:

G 2

but

but that it was defigned to run him down like a wolf, without law or game."

We will not enter into the particulars of this trial: he was found guilty, upon which the attorney-general proposed to have him pilloried. He was committed to the common jail till the 16th of June; and, then appearing to have judgment given against him, the queen's council moved, that he might retract. This he abfolutely refufed and fo the lord chief juftice palled this fentence on him, namely, to fuffer a year's imprifonment, to pay 1000l. fine to the queen, to lie in prifon til! it was paid, and to find fecurity for his good behaviour during life: telling him, that the pillory was the punishment due, but, because he was a man of letters, it was not inflicted. And then, as if this was not fufficient, he was led with a paper on his breast round the four courts to be exposed. "The procefs," fays he, "upon the writ de hæretico comburendo, had been happily taken away in Ireland by act of parliament, about feven or eight years before; elfe I know not but I might have been put to the fiery trial."

After fentence, he was committed to the fheriffs of Dublin, and was a close prifoner, for fomething more than a quarter of a year, in the under-fheriff's houfe: but, upon complaint, he was hastily hurried away to the common jail, where he lay among the prifoners, in a clofe room filled with fix beds, for five or fix weeks; and then, by an habeas corpus, was, upon his petition, removed into the Marfhalfea for his health. During his confinement, all his acquaintance were estranged from him, and all offices of friendship and civility ceased.

He continued long under clofe confinement, without much appearance of relief; only Mr. Boyfe did not ceafe to make attempts for his liberty. At last, through his frequent folicitations for a reducement of the fine, which he was unable to pay, he got it diminished to 70l. and this, together with 201. which the primate claimed as the queen's almoner, was paid. He had a ftrict right to demand a fhilling in the pound of the whole fine, but consented at laft to take the fum juft mentioned. And thus, after two years and above a month's imprifonment, viz. from the 14th of June 1703, to the 21st of July 1705, and, upon giving fecurity by two bondfmen for good behaviour during life, he obtained his difcharge.

Soon after his releafe, he returned to London, where a few friends gathered a fmall congregation, to whom he preached once every Sunday. This liberty of preaching which he enjoyed, gave great offence to feveral of the High-Church clergy, particularly to Mr. Charles Lefley, who, in his Rehearsal, expreffes great dislike at it; and alfo to Mr. Francis Higgins, who complained of it firft in a fermon, and afterwards, to archbishop Tenifon of Canterbury. The archbishop was not unacquainted either with his having a meeting in London, or with what had befallen him at Dublin; but

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he had fuch a character of him, as made him no way inclined to moleft him, Mr. Higgins not pretending that he made the controverted points the fubject of his preaching. Yet the lower house of convocation, in their reprefentation to the queen in 1711, made no fcruple to affert that "weekly fermons were preached in defence of the Unitarian principles :" which reprefentation he thought fo very unchriftian, and indeed fo very falfe, that he could not help beftowing fome obfervations on it. However, within a few years this congregation was diffolved by the death of the principal perfons who fupported it, and Mr. Emlyn retired into filence and obfcurity. He died the 30th of July 1741, aged 78. His writings confist of Tracts relating to the Trinitarian Controverfy; Memoirs of the life and Sentiments of Dr. Samuel Clarke ;" and "Sermons on various practical fubjects." They were collected and printed fince his death in three volumes 8vo; and to the whole are prefixed, by his fon, Solom Emlyn, "Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the author."

Solom Emlyn was bred to the law, became an eminent counsellor, and was employed to publish lord chief justice Hale's "Pleas of the Crown:" which he did with notes and a preface. He died in the year 1756.

EMMIUS (UBBO), a learned profeffor of Groningen, was born at Gretha, a village in Eaft Friesland, in 1547. He was the fon of Emmo Diken, a minifter of that village, who had been Luther's and Melanthon's difciple; and, at nine years of age, was fent to study at Embden. He continued there till he was eighteen, and was then fent to Bremen, to improve under the famous John Molanus. Returning to his father, he did not go immediately to the university; but paffed fome time at Norden. Being turned of twenty-three, he was fent to Roftock, a flourishing univerfity; where he heard the lectures of David Chytræus, a celebrated divine and hiftorian; and of Henry Bruceus, an able mathematician and phyfician. The death of his father obliged him to return to Eaft Friesland, after he had continued above two years at Rostock; and his mother's exceffive grief upon this occafion, hindered his taking a journey into France, as he had wifhed and defigned to do. He continued with her three years, after which he went to Geneva, where he stayed two years. Being returned into his own country, he had the choice of two preferments, either to be a minifter, or the rector of a college; but, as he was naturally fo bafhful that he could hardly fay a word in company, he could not venture to engage in the miniftry, though it was very much his inclination. He chofe therefore to be rector of a college, which was that of Norden; and was admitted into that poft in 1579. He made his college flourish exceedingly; but was turned out of his employment in 1587, through the zeal of fome Lutherans, because he would not

fubfcribe

fubfcribe the Confeffion of Augfburg. He was chofen the year after to be rector of the college of Leer, whofe reputation he raised fo high, that it furpaffed that of Norden; which the Lutherans could never retrieve from the declining ftate it fell into, after Emmius was depofed. They had banished from Groningen feveral perfons, who followed Calvin's reformation; and thofe of the exiles who retired to Leer, meeting with the fame fate as our Emmius, engaged in a particular friendship with him: fo that, when the city of Groningen confederated with the United Provinces, and the magiftrates refolved to restore their college, Emmius being recommended by feveral perfons, they chofe him to be rector of that college, and gave him a full power to make or abrogate there fuch ftatutes as he fhould think proper.

He entered upon this employment in 1594, and exercised it near twenty years, to the uncommon advantage of the young ftudents, who were fent in great numbers to that college. At the end of that time, the magiftrates of Groningen changed their college into an univerfity, and made Eminius profeffor of hiftory and of the Greek tongue. He was the first rector of that univerfity, and one of the chief ornaments of it by his lectures, till the infirmities of old age did not fuffer him to appear any longer in public. Yet he did not become ufelefs either to the republic of letters, or to the university of Groningen; for he continued to write books, and to impart his wife counfels to the fenate in all important affairs. He was a man whofe learning was not his only merit: he was capable, which few men who spend their lives in a college are, of advifing even princes. The governor of the provinces of Friefland and Groningen, confulted him very often, and feldom failed to follow his advice.

Emmius died at Groningen in 1625, leaving a family behind him; for he had been twice married. He was the author of feveral works. In the latt years of his life, he compofed the three volumes of his "Vetus Græcia illuftrata," or, "Ancient Greece illuftrated:" the firft of which contains a geographical defcription of Greece; the fecond, the hiftory of it; the third, the particular form of government in every flate. This work was committed to the prefs in his life-time; but, through the delays of the printers, not published till after his death, in 1626. He had published feveral confiderable works before this; as, his chronological and genealogical works, which contain the hiftory of Rome; and an univerfal hiftory, written in a very elaborate method; his "Decades rerum Frificarum." "Decades of the affairs of Freifland, &c." He was not at all prepoffeffed in favour of his native country; for, on the contrary, he confuted vigorously the idle tales related by the hiftorians of Friefland, concerning the antiquities of their nation: which love of truth raised him a great many enemies. He wrote alfo a " Hiftory of William Lewis, count of Naffau, governor of Friesland," in which we meet, not only with a pane