tion suitable to his purpose, and transcribed many MS lists, records, &c. The grand interval from this labour was from 1752 to 1767, while he resided at Bletchley; but even there, from his own collection of books, and such as he could borrow, he went on with his undertaking, and during frequent journies, was adding to his topographical drawings and descriptions. He had some turn for drawing, as his works every where demonstrate, just enough to give an accurate, but coarse outline. But it was at Cambridge and Milton where his biographical researches were pursued with most effect, and where he carefully registered every anecdote he could pick up in conversation; and, in characterising his contemporaries, may literally be said to have spared neither friend nor foe. He continued to fill his volumes in this way, almost to the end of his life, the last letter he transcribed being dated Nov. 25, 1782. Besides his topography and biography, he has transcribed the whole of his literary correspondence. Among his correspondents, Horace Walpole must be distinguished as apparently enjoying his utmost confidence; but their letters add very little to the character of either, as men of sincerity or candour. Both were capable of writing polite, and even flattering letters to gentlemen, whom in their mutual correspondence, perhaps by the same post, they treated with the utmost contempt and derision.

Throughout the whole of Mr. Cole's MSS. his attachment to the Roman catholic religion is clearly to be deduced, and is often almost avowed. He never can conceal his hatred to the eminent prelates and martyrs who were the promoters of the Reformation. In this respect at least he resembled Anthony Wood, whose friends had some difficulty in proving that he died in communion with the church of England, and Cole yet more closely resembled him in his hatred of the puritans and dissenters. When in 1767 an order was issued from the bishops for a return of all papists or reputed papists in their dioceses, Cole laments that in some places none were returned, and in other places few, and assigns as a reason for this regret, that "their principles are much more conducive to a peaceful and quiet subordination in government, and they might be a proper balance, in time of need, not only to the tottering state of Christianity in general, but to this church of England in particular, pecked against by every fanatic sect, whose good allies the infidels are well known to be; but hardly safe

from its own lukewarm members; and whose safety depends solely on a political balance." The "lukewarm members," he elsewhere characterizes as latitudinarians, including Clarke, Hoadly, and their successors, who held preferments in a church whose doctrines they opposed.

As late as 1778 we find Mr. Cole perplexed as to the disposal of his manuscripts; to give them to one college which he mentions, would, he says, "be to throw them into a horse-pond," for "in that college they are so conceited of their Greek and Latin, that with them all other studies are mere barbarism." He once thought of Eton college; but, the MSS. relating principally to Cambridge university and county, he inclined to deposit them in one of the libraries there; not in the public library, because too public, but in Emanuel, with the then master of which, Dr. Farmer, he was very intimate. Dr. Farmer, however, happening to suggest that he might find a better place for them, Mr. Cole, who was become peevish, and wanted to be courted, thought proper to consider this "coolness and indifference" as a refusal. In this dilemma he at length resolved to bequeath them to the British Museum, with this condition, that they should not be opened for twenty years after his death. For such a condition, some have assigned as a reason that the characters of many living persons being drawn in them, and that in no very favourable colours, it might be his wish to spare their delicacy; but, perhaps with equal reason, it has been objected that such persons would thereby be deprived of all opportunity of refuting his assertions, or defending themselves. Upon a careful inspection, however, of the whole of these volumes, we are not of opinion that the quantum of injury inflicted is very great, most of Cole's unfavourable anecdotes being of that gossiping kind, on which a judicious biographer will not rely, unless corroborated by other authority. Knowing that he wore his pen at his ear, there were probably many who amused themselves with his prejudices. His collections however, upon the whole, are truly valuable; and his biographical references, in particular, while they display extensive reading and industry, cannot fail to assist the future labours of writers interested in the history of the Cambridge scholars.'

COLE (WILLIAM), an English botanist, was the son of a clergyman, and born at Adderbury, in Oxfordshire,

? Gathered from his MSS. passim.-See also Nichols's Bowyer, and D'Israeli's Calamities of Authors,

about 1626. After he had been well-instructed in grammar-learning and the classics, he was entered in 1642 of Merton-college, in Oxford. In 1650 he took a degree in arts; after which he left the university, and retired to Putney, near London; where he lived several years, and became the most famous simpler or botanist of his time. In 1656 he published "The art of simpling, or an introduction to the knowledge of gathering plants, wherein the definitions, divisions, places, descriptions, and the like, are compendiously discoursed of;" with which was also printed "Perspicillum microcosmologicum, or, a prospective for the discovery of the lesser world, wherein man is a compendium, &c." And in 1657 he published "Adam in Eden, or Nature's paradise: wherein is contained the history of plants, herbs, flowers, with their several original names." Upon the restoration of Charles II. in 1660, he was made secretary to Duppa, bishop of Winchester, in whose service he died in 1662.1

COLES (ELISHA), author of a Dictionary once in much reputation, was born in Northamptonshire about 1640. Towards the end of 1658, he was entered of Magdalencollege, in Oxford, but left it without taking a degree; and retiring to London, taught Latin there to youths, and English to foreigners, about 1663, with good success in Russel-street, near Covent-garden, and at length became one of the ushers in merchant-taylors' school. But being there guilty of some offence, he was forced to withdraw into Ireland, from whence he never returned. He was, says Wood, a curious and critical person in the English and Latin tongues, did much good in his profession, and wrote several useful and necessary books for the instruction of beginners. The titles of them are as follows: 1. "The Complete English Schoolmaster: or, the most natural and easy method of spelling and reading English, according to the present proper pronunciation of the language in Oxford and London, &c." Lond. 1674, 8vo. 2. "The newest, plainest, and shortest Short-hand; containing, first, a brief account of the short-haud already extant, with their alphabets and fundamental rules. Secondly, a plain and easy method for beginners, less burdensome to the memory than any other. Thirdly, a new invention for contracting words, with special rules for contracting sentences, and other, ingenious fancies, &c."

1 Ath. Ox, vol. II.

Lond. 1674, 8vo. 3. "Nolens Volens or, you shall make Latin, whether you will or no; containing the plainest directions that have been yet given upon that subject," Lond. 1675, 8vo. With it is printed: 4. "The Youth's visible Bible, being an alphabetical collection (from the whole Bible) of such general heads as were judged most capable of Hieroglyphics; illustrated with twenty-four copper-plates, &c." 5. "An English Dictionary, explaining the difficult terms that are used in divinity, husbandry, physic, philosophy, law, navigation, mathematics, and other arts and sciences," Lond. 1676, 8vo, reprinted several times since. 6. "A Dictionary, English-Latin, and Latin-English; containing all things necessary for the translating of either language into the other," Lond. 1677, 4to, reprinted several times in 8vo; the 12th edition was in 1730. 7. "The most natural and easy Method of learning Latin, by comparing it with English: Together with the Holy History of Scripture-War, or the sacred art military, &c." Lond. 1677, 8vo. 8. "The Harmony of the Four Evangelists, in a metrical paraphrase on the history of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," Lond. 1679, 8vo, reprinted afterwards. 9. "The Young Scholar's best Companion or an exact guide or directory for children. and youth, from the A B C, to the Latin Grammar, comprehending the whole body of the English learning, &c." Lond. 12mo. Cole's Dictionary continued to be a schoolbook in very general use, for some time after the publication of Ainsworth's Thesaurus. But it has fallen almost into total neglect, since other abridgments of Ainsworth have appeared, by Young, Thomas, and other persons. The men, however, who have been benefactors to the cause of learning, ought to be remembered with gratitude, though their writings may happen to be superseded by more perfect productions. It is no small point of honour to be the means of paving the way for superior works. '

COLES (ELISHA), uncle to the preceding, was also a native of Northamptonshire, but became a trader in London, and probably an unsuccessful one, as during the time that Oxford was in possession of the parliamentary forces, we find him promoted to the office of steward to Magdalen college, by Dr. Thomas Goodwin, the famous independent president of that college. On the restoration, he was obliged

4 Ath. Ox, vol. II.-Biog. Brit.

to quit this situation, but acquired the preferable appointment of clerk to the East India company, which he probably held to his death, at London, in October 1688,' upwards of eighty years old. He is known to this day by his "Practical Discourse of God's Sovereignty," London, 1673, 4to, and often reprinted in 8vo. The object of it is to refute the Arminians in those points concerning which they differ most from the Calvinists. 1

1

COLET (DR. JOHN), a learned English divine, and the founder of St. Paul's school, was born in the parish of St. Antholin, London, in 1466, and was the eldest son of sir Henry Colet, knt. twice lord-mayor, who had besides him twenty-one children. In 1483 he was sent to Magdalen college in Oxford, where he spent seven years in the study of logic and philosophy, and took the degrees in arts. He was perfectly acquainted with Cicero's works, and no stranger to Plato and Plotinus, whom he read together, that they might illustrate each other. He could, however, read them only in the Latin translations; for neither at school nor university had he any opportunity of learning the Greek, that language being then thought unnecessary, and even discouraged. Hence the proverb, "Cave à Græcis, ne fias hæreticus," that is, "Beware of Greek, lest you become an heretic ;" and it is well known, that when Linacer, Grocyn, and others, afterwards professed to teach it at Oxford, they were opposed by a set of men who called themselves Trojans. Colet, however, was well skilled in mathematics; and having thus laid a good foundation of learning at home, he travelled abroad for farther improvement; first to France, and then to Italy; and seems to have continued in those two countries from 1493 to 1497. But before his departure, and indeed when he was of but two years standing in the university, he was instituted to the rectory of Denington in Suffolk, to which he was presented by a relation of his mother, and which he held to the day of his death. This practice of taking livings, while thus under age, generally prevailed in the church of Rome; and Colet, being then an acolythe, which is one of their seven orders, was qualified for it. He was also presented by his own father, Sept. 30, 1485, to the rectory of Thyrning in Huntingdonshire, but he resigned it about the latter end of 1493, probably before he set out on his travels.

Ath. Ox. vot. II.