Antholin's, London, who distinguished himself as a noted disputant in his day, particularly in conjunction with bishop Gibson, in opposing the promotion of Dr. Rundle to a bishopric, on account of a conversation in which the doctor had expressed sentiments rather favourable to deism. Mr. Venn also assisted Dr. Webster in writing the "Weekly Miscellany," a periodical publication which, under the venerable name of Richard Hooker, laboured zealously in defence of high church principles. He died in 1740; and a volume of his sermons and tracts was published by bis widow, the daughter of Mr. Ashton, who had been executed in the reign of William III. for being concerned in a plot to bring back the Stuart family.

In 1742

Mr. Henry Venn was born at Barnes, in the county of Surrey, 1725. He was educated, partly under Dr. Pitman, at Market-street, and partly under the reverend Mr. Catcott, rector of St. Stephen, Bristol, a Hutchinsonian divine of great ingenuity and learning, the author of a curious treatise on the deluge, and a volume of sermons. Mr. Venn was admitted of Jesus college, Cambridge, proceeded to the degree of B. A. in 1745, and to that of M. A. in 1749. There being no fellowship vacant in his own college, the fellows of Queen's unanimously elected him a member of their society, in which he continued till his marriage in 1757. The lady to whom he became united was daughter of Dr. Bishop of Ipswich, author of an Exposition of the creed, and a volume of Sermons preached at Lady Moyer's lecture in 1724.

At this period Mr. Venn was curate of Clapham, where he was greatly beloved by the inhabitants, and contracted a close friendship with those eminently good men, sir John Barnard and John Thornton, esq. By way of exhibiting his gratitude to his parishioners, he published and dedicated to them, in 1759, on his resignation of the curacy, a volume of sermons. In the course of that same year he was presented to the vicarage of Huddersfield in Yorkshire. While here, he laboured with unwearied assiduity in his vocation, and his memory will long be cherished with affection and veneration in that extensive parish. His zeal, however, carried him beyond his strength. By his earnest and frequent preaching, in the course of ten years, he had materially injured his constitution, and brought on a cough and spitting of blood, which rendered him incapable of officiating any longer in so extensive a sphere. He there

fore accepted, in 1770, the rectory of Yelling in Huntingdonshire, a crown living, which was presented to him by his great and good friend the lord chief baron Smythe, then one of the commissioners of the great seal During his residence at Huddersfield he published "The Complete Duty of Man," which has gone through seven large editions, including those printed in Ireland and America. The great object of this book is to counteract certain Arminian principles of the celebrated work which bears a similar title, and to infuse more of an evangelical spirit into the mind of the reader.

He continued to reside at Yelling until the month of December 1796, when, in consequence of a paralytic stroke, which not only shook his bodily frame but his intellects, he removed to the house of his son, the late rector of Clapham, where he died in June following, aged seventy-three.

cumstance.

Mr. Venn was remarkably cheerful and facetious in conversation, so that piety, as recommended by him, was pleasant and alluring; and the young and the careless were often struck, in his company, with admiration at this cirHis works were, 1. "The Perfect Contrast, or the entire opposition of Popery to the Religion of Jesus the Son of God; a sermon preached at Clapham, November 5, 1758," 8vo. A second edition was printed in 1778. 2. "Sermons on various subjects," 1759, 8vo. 3. "The Variance between real and nominal Christians considered, and the cause of it explained," a sermon, 1759, 8vo. 4. "The Duty of a parish priest," a sermon preached at Wakefield, July 2, 1760, 8vo. 5. "Christ the joy of the Christian life, and death his gain," a sermon preached at Haworth, on the death of William Grimshaw, minister of that parish, 1763, 8vo. 6. "The Complete Duty of Man, or a System of Doctrinal and Practical Christianity. Designed for the use of families," 1764, 8vo. 7. "Man a condemned sinner, and Christ the strong hold to save him,” an assize sermon, 1769, 8vo. 8. "A full and free Examination of the rev. Dr. Priestley's Address on the Lord's Supper, with some strictures on the treatise itself," 1769, 8vo. 9. "A token of respect to the Memory of the rev. Mr. Whitfield," preached at the countess of Huntingdon's, Bath, 1770, 8vo. 10. "Mistakes in religion exposed, in an essay on the Prophecy of Zachariah," 1774, 8vo. "The Conversion of Sinners the greatest charity: a serVOL. XXX.

U

11.

mon preached before the Society for promoting religious knowledge," 1779, 8vo.

His son, JOHN, whom we have mentioned as the late rector of Clapham, was born in that parish March 9, 1759, and received the early part of his education under Mr. Shute at Leeds. He was then removed to Hippasholme school, where he was well grounded in classics by the care of Mr. Sutcliffe. He had afterwards the benefit of the rev. Joseph Milner's instruction at the grammar-school at Hull; and of the rev. Thomas Robinson's and the rev. William Ludlam's, the last an eminent mathematician at Leicester. He was admitted a member of Sidney Sussex college, Cambridge, where he took the degree of A. B. in 1781. In September 1782, he was ordained deacon, as curate to his father; he entered into priest's orders in March 1783, and two days afterwards was instituted to the living of little Dunham, in Norfolk. In Oct. 1789, he married Miss Catherine King, of Hull, who died April 15, 1803, leaving a family of seven children. In June 1792, on the death of sir James Stonehouse (predecessor in the baronetcy to the sir James Stonehouse recorded in our vol. XXVIII.) he was instituted to the rectory of Clapham. In August 1812, he married Miss Turton, daughter of John Turton, esq. of Clapham, and resided at this place from the beginning of 1793, to the day of his death, July 1, 1813, aged fifty-four. Mr. Venn never appeared in the character of an author, nor prepared any sermons for the press; but two volumes have since been published, selected from his manuscripts, and may be considered "as a fair exhibition of his manner, sentiments, and doctrine." They are more polished in style than his father's, but there is a perceptible difference in their opinions on some points, the father being a more decided Calvinist. Prefixed to these sermons, is a brief account of the author, from which we have extracted the above particulars.'

VENNER (TOBIAS), a physician of the seventeenth century, was born of genteel parents at Petherton, near Bridgewater, in Somersetshire, in 1577, and in 1594 became a commoner of St. Alban's-hall, Oxford. After taking a degree in arts, he studied physic, and practised for a time about Oxford. In 1613, he took his doctor's degree, aud returning to his own country, practised for many years at

1 Gent. Mag, vol. LXVII,-Sermons as above.

Bridgewater; but afterwards, at or near Bath. He was highly esteemed in that part of the country for skill in his profession, and maintained the character of an upright and charitable person. He died March 27, 1660, and was buried in St. Peter's church in Bath, where a monument with a large inscription, by Dr. Pierce of that city, was erected to his memory.

Dr. Venner acquired great popularity by a work on the subject of diet and regimen, entitled "Via recta ad vitam longam," published in two separate parts, the first in 1620, and the second in 1623, but joined in subsequent editions. It is a plain practical piece, extremely different in manner from Dr. Mousset's "Treatise on Foods," though similar in subject. His account of the several articles treated of, is compiled (though without any quotations) from the current authors of that time; and his rules and admonitions, delivered with all due gravity and authority, are equally trite. His style and manner are well calculated for a popular work, being plain, grave, and diffuse. To the edition of the "Via Recta" of 1638, were added, "A compendious Treatise concerning the nature, use, and efficacy of the Bathes at Bath;" "Advertisement concerning the taking of Physic in the Spring;" "Censure concerning the water of St. Vincent's rocks near Bristol," said to be the first treatise relating to Bristol water; and a "Brief and accurate Treatise concerning the taking of the fume of Tobacco."

As

VENNING (RALPH), a nonconformist divine, was born about 1620, and educated in Emmanuel college, Cambridge. He does not appear to have had any preferment in the church, except the lectureship of St. Olave's, Southwark, from which he was ejected for nonconformity in 1662. After this he preached at a dissenting meeting at Pewterers'-hall, Lime-street, as colleague to a Mr. Bragge, who outlived him and preached his funeral sermon. Mr. Venning was a man of no faction himself, men of different factions and sects were generally disposed to do justice to his character, which was that of a man, the object of whose labours and writings was to promote piety. He was, in his charity sermons, a powerful advocate for the poor, among whom he distributed annually some hundreds. of pounds. His oratory on this topic is said to have been almost irresistible; as some have gone to church with a

Ath. Ox, vol. II.-Aikin's Biog. Memoirs of Medicine.

1

resolution not to give, and have been insensibly and involuntarily melted into compassion, and bestowed their alms with uncommon liberality. He died March 10, 1673. He was the author of nine practical treatises, specified by Calamy, among which the principal are, 1. "Orthodox and Miscellaneous Paradoxes," 1647, 12mo. 2. "Things worth thinking on, or helps to piety," 12mo, often reprinted. 3. "His Remains," with a portrait by Hollar," &c. He was also one of the compilers of the English-Greek Lexicon published in 1661, Svo.1

VERDIER (ANTONY, SEIGNEUR DE VAUPRIVAS), a very useful biographer and bibliographer, was born at Montbrison en Forez, Nov. 11, 1544. He appears to have served the king both in a military and civil capacity, and was historiographer and gentleman in ordinary to his majesty. He died at Duerne, Sept. 25, 1600. In his youth he had cultivated poetry, but of his poetical efforts he published only some indifferent specimens in his great work. He had, according to Scaliger, a fine library of Italian, French, Spanish, Greek, and Latin authors, and was conversant in books of all kinds. The fruits of his labours were, 1. "La Prosopographie, ou Description des personnes insignes, &c. avec les effigies d'aucuns d'iceux, et braves observations de leur temps, années, faits, et dits," Lyons, 1573, 4to. This he reprinted three times with improvements; and the last, left also by him for the press, was published by his son Claude, who made some few additions at Paris in 1603, 3 vols. folio. This is a very miscellaneous compilation, in which, although there are a few particulars of the eminent men of his time, it requires some patience to find them. 2. "Les Diverses leçons d'Antoine Duverdier, suivant celles de P. Messie," Lyons, 1576, Svo. Of this there have been several editions, the most complete of which is that of Tournon, 1605. These leçons were part of Duverdier's extracts, in the course of his reading, from various Greek, Latin, and Italian authors. 3. "Le Compseutique, ou Traits facetieux," 12mo; but there are some doubts whether this, which did not appear until 1584, was not the compilation of another author. 4. "La Bibliotheque d'Ant. Duverdier, contenant le catalogue de tous les auteurs qui ont ecrit ou traduit en Français, avec le supplement Latin, du meme Duverdier, a la bibliotheque

1 Calamy.-Granger.