of rank, who often visited him upon their travels. Possessed of the general esteem, he died in 1782, at the age of seventy-eight. Burney Hist. of us. and Musical Tour. Hawkin's Hist. Mus.-A.

FARMER, HUGH, a learned English divine among the protestant nonconformists, was a descendant from respectable ancestors in North Wales, and born at Shrewsbury in the year 1714. His classical education he received, partly at a school in Llanegrin, near Towyn, Merionethshire, and partly under the tuition of Dr. Charles Owen, a dissenting minister of considerable learning at Warrington, in Lancashire. Being designed for the christian ministry, he was sent to prosecute his academical studies under the instructions of the excellent Mr. afterwards Dr. Doddridge, at Northampton, in the year 1730. His conduct and proficiency in that situation were such as secured to him the warm commendation and esteem of his tutor, who, though he did not live to be a witness of his pupil's eminence in the literary world, always spoke of him in terms of high respect. After Mr. Farmer had finished his academical course, he settled as chaplain in the family of William Coward, esq. of Walthamstow, in Essex, and at the same time undertook the office of minister to a dissenting congregation in that village. Mr. Coward was a gentleman who is entitled to the grateful remembrance of the protestant dissenters, on account of the large bequests which he made for the education of young men to the ministry among them, and other beneficent purposes. To the aid of his funds, many of their most respectable ministers, and some who now sustain no mean rank in the literary world, have been indebted for their liberal instruction. Mr. Coward's peculiarities, however, and oddities of temper, were such as rendered him not a pleasant person to those who were inmates in his house. He had laid it down as an established rule, that his doors should be shut up at an uncommonly early Lour, after which every absentee, whether a visitor or stated resident, was refused admission. It happened that one evening Mr. Farmer, having trespassed beyond the limited moment, when he arrived at Mr. Coward's door found that no indulgence would be shewn to him, and was obliged to apply to a friend for a t'e lodging, The Louse in which on this on he took refuge was that of William baby, a colicitor of considerable eminence and great personal worth; with whose family, So that night, Mr. Farmer took up his re

sidence for more than thirty years, in habits of the closest intimacy and friend-hip. Under Mr. Snelts hospitable roof, while he maintained his connection with the congregation at Waithamstow, which increased and flourished under his minister al labours, he applied himself with great diligence to those investigations in sacred and prone literature, of which the fruits were laid before the public in his subsequent life. Mr. Farmer's first production from the press was a discourse preached on the day appointed for public thanksgiving on account of the suppression of the rebellion of 1745, printed in 1746. His next publication was a work of greater importance, which attracted considerable notice in the theological world. It appeared in 1761, and was entitled "An Enquiry into the Nature and Design of our Lord's Temptation in the Wilderness," 8vo. The intention of it is to shew that the evangelical narrative contains the representation of a divine vision, the several scenes of which offered to our Lord symbolical predictions of the difficulties and offices of his future ministry. The learning, abilities, and novelty of interpretation which the work displayed, soon gave it a wide circulation among biblical scholars, and occasioned the appearance of other publications, in which different hypotheses were maintained. One was entitled "Christ's Temptations real Facts, &c." and written in defence of the literal meaning of the evangelical history; another, which was the posthumous production of a dissenting minister of the name of Dixon, was entitled "The Sovereignty of the divine Administration vindicated, or a rational Account of our blessed Saviour's remarkable Temptation in the Wilderness, &c." The object of the latter is to prove that the scripture account contains a figurative or allegorical representation of real temptations. Each of these publications was distinguished by learning and ingenuity, but not in an equal degree with Mr. Farmer's. A second edition. of his "Enquiry" was published in 1765, in which the subject received additional illustra tion from a number of notes, and "An Appendix," containing farther observations, and.

an

answer to objections. In 1776 a third edition of the same work appeared, with large additions, confirming by new arguments the author's explication of "Christ's being broughtinto the Wilderness by or in the Spirit." In 1771 Mr. Farmer published his grand and va"A Dissertation on luable work, entitled Miracles, designed to shew that they are Arguments of a divine Interposition, and absolute

Dr. Lardner, and Dr. Mead; but they did not leave the subject unincumbered with difficulties, for the removal of which Mr. Farmer's learning, ingenuity, and critical skill, are very advantageously displayed in this essay. Indeed it must be considered as the most com plete, perspicuous, and valuable performance on the author's side of the question. Not long after its appearance, it was warmly attacked by Dr. Worthington, a learned clergyman of the church of England, in a treatise, entitled "An impartial Enquiry into the Case of the Gospel Demoniacs, &c;" in which the author's notion of the Scripture Demonology partakes much of the manichæan doctrine concerning the evil principle. This work engaged Mr. Farmer, in the year 1778, to publish "Letters to the Rev. Dr. Worthington, in answer to his late publication, entitled An impartial Enquiry,' &c;" in which the author presented the public with much additional matter on the subject in dispute, and a judicious epitome of what had. already been advanced in the course of the controversy. During the following year Mr. Farmer's "Essay" met with another antagonist in the rev. Mr. Fell, a respectable and ingenious. dissenting minister, who published a treatise, entitled "Dæmoniacs. entitled "Dæmoniacs. An Enquiry into the History and the Scripture Doctrine of Dæmons: in which the Hypotheses of the Rev. Mr. Farmer and others, on this Subject, are particularly considered," 8vo. The work of this. gentleman Mr. Farmer did not consider entitled to a distinct answer, but made it the subject of his animadversion in the introduction and notes to his last performance presented to the public, which appeared in 1783, under the title of "The general Prevalence of the Worship of Human Spirits in the ancient Heathen Nations: asserted and proved;" 8vo. The design of this work is to prove, not only that human spirits were generally worshipped among the heathens, but that such spirits alone, or with few exceptions, were, in the nations with which we are best acquainted, the direct and immediate objects of the established worship. It is equally honourable with the author's former productiens to his talents and erudition, and supports his hypothesis with great ingenuity, by a series of reasonings drawn from the testimonies of the heathen poets, philosophers, historians, and the christian fathers, and the facts afforded by the monuments and institutions which were designed to perpetuate the heroes who became the objects of pagan worship. The strictures which occur in it on Mr. Fell's "Dæmoni.cs," are introduced in an incidental and oblique

Proofs of the Mission and Doctrine of a Prophet," 8vo. Numerous as have been the learned and elaborate treatises which have appeared on the subject of miracles, this work of Mr. Farmer's is entitled to pre-eminent distinction for extent of enquiry, profundity of erudition, masterly criticism, accurate discrimination, and perspicuity and fairness of reasoning. No performance on the subject is so well adapted to combat the objections of scepticism, and to give that view of the nature, origin, and design of miracles, which accords at once with the dictates of reason, and the representations of Scripture. By ably "refuting those principles of demonism, which have done so much discredit to the argument drawn from miracles in favour of the Jewish and Christian revelations," and by establishing the belief that the world is under the government of God alone, and that no created spirits, much less such as oppose his benevolent and wise designs, can disturb that course and order of things which he has established," it leads to the proof of what is announced in the title, in a manner that will ever entitle it to rank among the most important productions of which the cause of sacred literature can boast. Not long after the appearance of this "Dissertation," a notion was propagated in conversation, and in some periodical publications, that Mr. Farmer had availed himself in its composition of a treatise by Mr. Le Moine on the subject, without acknowledging his obligations, and that his book was a copy of that gentleman's work. That this notion originated in ignorance or malignity, could not be doubted by any person who compared together the two treatises in question; and Mr. Farmer satisfactorily vindicated himself from the aspersion which it was meant to cast upon him, in "An Examination of the Rev. Mr. Le Moine's Treatise on Miracles," which was published in the year 1772, 8vo. In this treatise, by pointing out the manifest contrariety between Mr. Le Moine's opinion and his own, he farther confirmed and illustrated the sentiments advanced in his "Dissertation." Mr. Farmer's next publication made its appearance in the year 1775, and was entitled "An Essay on the Demoniacs of This work embraces a discussion necessary to complete the design of the author's treatise on miracles. Its object "that the disorders imputed to supernatural possessions proceed from natural Causes, not from the agency of any evil spirits." The author's hypothesis had formerly been ably Supported by Mr. Joseph Mede, Dr. Sykes,

the New Testament."

is to shew,

manner. That gentleman's performance is certainly distinguished by a degree of learning and acuteness that might seem to entitle it to a more direct answer. But it cannot be commended for the spirit in which it is written, and gave Mr. Farmer fair occasion to censure the author, which he has done, perhaps too acrimoniously and contemptuously, for his misconceptions, or, as he expresses himself, misrepresentations of his language, and uncandid reflections on his motives and views. In the year 1785 Mr. Fell published a vindication of himself, in a treatise entitled, "The Idolatry of Greece and Rome distinguished from that of the other heathen Nations, in a Letter to the Rev. Hugh Farmer;" Svo. In this work the author amply retaliated upon Mr. Farmer for the severity of his censures, and suggested many things which would have been deserving of his consideration and reply if he had continued to publish on this subject. After the appearance of his last-mentioned production, Mr. Farmer closely pursued his literary enquiries, but from a circumstance which will be hereafter mentioned, the world was prevented from profiting by his labours. We now return to the circumstances of his private life. After he had remained sole minister at Walthamstow for several years, in 1761, when an able and ingenious associate had been provided for him at that place, he accepted of the situation of afternoon preacher to the respectable congregation of Salter's-hall, in the City of London; and was soon afterwards chosen one of the Tuesday lecturers at the same place. He was also elected a member of one of the most honourable trusts among the protestant dissenters, that of Dr. Daniel Williams's various bequests; and was appointed one of the trustees of Mr. Coward's funds. As he advanced in years, however, he gradually resigned his employments as a divine, to the great regret of the different societies with which he was connected. Early in 1785 he was afflicted with an almost total failure of sight, which was so far remedied by his submitting to a surgical operation, that he was again enabled to apply to his usual course of studies. But his infirmities increasing, he departed this life in 1787, when he was in the seventy-third year of his age. Liblical scholars have reason to lament, that, by a too scrupulous adherente to a request made to his executors in his will, that his sermons and manuscripts should be burnt, they have been deprived of farther instruction and entertainent from Lis learned pen. For however binding this request might be thought with

respect to the general mass of his manuscripts,
a very allowable latitude of construction would
have justified them in sparing from the common
destruction some pieces, which it is not easy to
conceive that the author designed to be commit-
ted to the flames. Of this description was "A
Dissertation on the Story of Balaam," which he
had transcribed for the press, and for the printing
of which he had given directions; and also a col-
lection of papers prepared for a second, greatly
enlarged, and considerably improved, edition
of his treatise on miracles. Of Mr. Farmer's
character as a scholar, his learned labours af-
ford sufficient testimony. As a preacher, he
was distinguished by a happy variety of thought
and expression, judicious criticism, liberality
of sentiment, and energy and elegance of lan-
guage. His voice was uncommonly clear and
harmonious, and his manner of delivery natu
rai, manly, and impressive. He was a man of
ardent, but cheerful piety, who recommended
the religion which he taught by the exemplari-
ness of his moral conduct, and adorned it by
his beneficence and candour. In conversation
he was lively, and often brilliant; and in his
manners polite and complimentary, sometimes
to excess. On disputable topics it was no easy
matter to draw from him a decided opinion.
Upon the whole, Mr. Farmer is entitled to a
high rank among the dissenting ministers of his
time, and supported an honourable station in
the literature of the age. Biog. Britan.-M.

FARMER, RICHARD, D.D. a polite scholar and critic, was the son of a hosier at Leicester, where he was born in 1735. He received his school education at his native town, whence he removed at a proper age to Cambridge, and was entered a pensioner of Emanuel college. Without attaining any extraordinary reputation during his academical education, he acquired the character of one acquainted with books, and possessed of lively parts, and was much esteemed in the circle of his friends. He took the degrees of B.A. in 1757, and of M. A. in 1760, in which latter year he was appointed classical tutor of his college. At the same time he served the curacy of Swavesey, a few miles from Cambridge, He took the degree of B.D. in 1767, and about that period became one of the preachers at Whitehall. He resided much in London with Dr. Askew, a physician, well known for his curious and valuable library, of which Mr. Farmer was well able to avail himself. He had already, besides his study of the authors of Greece and Rome, engaged in a course of reading the black-letter books of his own lan

guage, which he rendered the foundation of a work to which he was indebted for the principal part of his literary reputation. This was, "An Essay on the Learning of Shakspeare," first published in 1766. A controversy had long prevailed concerning the extent of booklearning possessed by our great dramatist, with a reference to the farther question of the originality of his genius. It was easy to shew from many parts of his works that he was not unacquainted with the mythology and history of the ancients, but the sources whence he derived this acquaintance were a matter of dispute. Mr. Farmer was able, from his knowledge of books, to shew that in the time of Shakspeare English translations existed of most of the classical writers; and by tracing even the individual expressions and mistakes of the translators in those passages of his plays which allude to the subjects treated by these writers, he irrefragably proved that the untutored bard had read the translations instead of the originals. His essay, which went through three edititions, and was also printed in the edition of Shakspeare by Stevens and Reed, in 1793, was admired as a piece of sprightly composition, and was generally considered as decisive of the point.

The notice Mr. Farmer acquired by his performance was favourable to his professional advancement. On the presentation of his friend bishop Hurd, he obtained the chancellorship and a prebendal stall in the cathedral of Lichfield. In 1775 he was chosen master of Emanuel-college, on which occasion he took the degree of D.D. He afterwards obtained the place of principal librarian to the university, and served in his turn the office of vice-chancellor. As a member of that learned body, he was a zealous supporter of things as they were in church and state, and of course was an object of ministerial retribution. Lord North conferred upon him a prebend of Canterbury. He had twice the offer of a bishopric from Mr. Pitt; but the solemnity and constraint of the episcopal character was not suitable to his temper; and he gladly accepted instead, a residentiaryship of St. Paul's, which he exchanged for his prebend. This preferment was agreeable to him, not only from the handsome addition it made to his income, but from its obligation of a three-months' residence in the metropolis. He passed that time very pleasantly in the society of men of letters and conviviality; and as his company included persons of various opinions, he acquired a liberality of sentiment which perhaps would not have accompanied him if confined to his college. He was, however, na

turally good-humoured and obliging, and seemed pleased with occasions of overlooking party difference in the performance of kind actions. Though he warmly opposed certain academical reforms, yet he was the principal promoter of improvements in the police of Cambridge, particularly those of paving and lighting the streets. It was also in great measure owing to his exertions, that the cathedral of St. Paul's was permitted to receive those decorations of monumental sculpture, which, while they afford a suitable display of the national gratitude, will gradually clothe the nakedness of the edifice.

Dr. Farmer appeared as an author only in the essay above mentioned. While still young in literature, in 1765, he issued proposals for a history of the town and antiquities of Leicester, the expence of publishing which was to be defrayed by subscription. But his increasing occupations, or rather, perhaps, his indolence, fostered by easy circumstances, induced him to resign the undertaking. The few materials he had collected, with some plates, were put into the hands of Mr. John Nichols, for the use of his elaborate history of Leicestershire, and the subscription-money was repaid. After a long and painful illness, Dr. Farmer died in September, 1797, at Emanuel-college, and an epi- ̧ taph to his memory by the classical pen of Dr. Parr was inscribed upon his tomb in the cloisters. In this he is called, "Vir facetus & dulcis festique sermonis, Græce & Latine doctus, in explicanda veterum Anglorum poësi subtilis & elegans." He had made a large collection of books of all kinds, many of them picked up at the stalls of London, which sold after his death for much more than their cost. Necrology.-A.

FARNABY, THOMAS, an eminent schoolmaster and critic, was the son of a carpenter in London, where he was born about 1575. His family is said to have been originally Italian. He was admitted a servitor of Mertoncollege, Oxford, in 1590; but he abruptly quitted that university, and went to Spain, where for some time he studied in a college of the Jesuits. The severity of this institution, however, disgusted him, and he found means to return, and entered on board the fleet of Drake and Hawkins in their expedition of 1595. He is said afterwards to have served as a soldier in the Low-countries; but the result of this unsettled course of life was, that he landed in Cornwall in such indigent circumstances, that he was obliged to teach children the horn-book for a subsistence. He gradually rose to a higher station, and for some time taught a granmarschool at Martock in Somersetshire. Thence