he had, his great cure, and his studies, in such a manner as he was desirous to do, he entreated his patron the archbishop, to give him leave entirely to quit Margate, and to retire to his cure of Appledore, which, with some difficulty, was at last granted him; but not till his grace had made inquiry throughout his diocese and the university of Cambridge for one who might be thought qualified to succeed him. He settled at Appledore in 1703, and as soon as his eldest son was fit for the university (which was in 1705) he sent him to Cambridge, and his other son to school till he was of age to be put out apprentice; and dismissed all the rest of his scholars. He seemed much pleased with Appledore at his first retirement thither, as a place where he could follow his studies without interruption. But this satisfaction was not of long continuance; for that marshy air, in a year or two, brought a severe sickness on himself and all his family, and his constitution (which till then had been very good) was so broken, that he never afterwards recovered the health he had before enjoyed. This made him desirous to remove from thence as soon as he could; and the vicarage of Cranbrook becoming void, he asked the archbishop to bestow it on him, which his grace readily did, and accordingly collated him to it April the 13th, 1707, where he continued till his death, holding\ Appledore with it. In 1710, and again in 1713, he was chosen by the clergy of the diocese of Canterbury to be one of their proctors for the convocation summoned to meet with the. parliament in those years. And as the first of these convocations was permitted to sit and act, and to treat of matters of religion (though they brought no business to any perfection, owing to the differences that had been raised between the two houses) he constantly attended the house of which he was a member whilst any matter was there under debate; and his parts and learning came to be known and esteemed by the most eminent clergy of the province, as they had been before by those of the diocese where he lived; so that from this time he was frequently resorted to for his opinion in particular cases, and had letters sent to him from the remotest parts of the province of Canterbury, and sometimes from the other province also, requiring his opinion in matters of learning, especially as to what concerned our religion and ecclesiastical laws. He continued at Cranbrook about eighteen years; and as he

had been highly valued, esteemed, and beloved at all other places where he had resided, so was he here also by all that were true friends, says his biographer, " to the pure catholic religion of Jesus Christ, as professed and established in the church of England. But as there were many dissenters of all denominations in that place, and some others, who (though they frequented the church, yet) seemed to like the Dissenters better, and to side with them upon all occasions, except going to their meetings for religious worship, I cannot say how they loved and esteemed him. However, he was so remarkably upright in his life and conversation, that even they could accuse him of no other fault, except his known hearty zeal for the church of England, which all impartial persons would have judged a virtue. For certainly those that have not an hearty affection for a church ought not to be made priests of it. Some of those favourers of the dissenters studied to make him uneasy, by endeavouring to raise a party in his parish against him, merely because they could not make him, like themselves, a latitudinarian in matters of religion; but they failed in their design, and his friends were too many for them *.' A little before he left Appledore, he began to discover that learning to the world, which till this time was little known beyond the diocese where he lived, except to some particular acquaintance, by printing several tracts; though his modesty was such, that he would not put his name to them, till they had at least a second edition. The first of these was a "Paraphrase with Notes on the Book of Psalms according to the Translation retained in our Common Prayer-Book," published in 1706. The next book he wrote was the "Clergyman's Vade-Mecum," 1708, which went through five editions, and was followed, in 1709, by a second part. In 1710 he published the "Propitiatory Oblation in the Eucharist;" in 1714, "The Unbloody Sacrifice," part I.; and in 1717, part II.; in 1720, "A Collection of Ecclesiastical Laws."

In 1728, Mary his daughter and only surviving child, 'being his executrix, published some posthumous discourses of his which he had designed for the press; and as no man was more careful and diligent to instruct those

*It was in his latter years that he (probably from his intimacy with Dr. Hickes) became a nonjuror in principle and practice, denying the king's su premacy, and refusing to read the

prayers enjoined on the accession of George I. This occasioned him some trouble, and he was forced to submit, which he did very reluctantly.

committed to his care in the knowledge of their duty by his sermons and discourses, so was he no less careful to instruct them by his example in a regular Christian life; and therefore none was better beloved by his parishioners in general. This learned divine, of whom his biographer, Dr. Brett, has given a very high, although perhaps somewhat partial character, died Dec. 15, 1725, and was buried in Cranbrook church-yard.

In 1689 he married Margaret, the daughter of Thomas Jenkin, gent. of the isle of Thanet, and half-sister of Dr. Robert Jenkin, master of St. John's college in Cambridge. He had some children; and among them a son, who died in 1723, after having been fellow of the above college, and rector of Standish in Lancashire,

In 1748 was published "The Life of the late Rev. J. Johnson, &c. by the late Rev. Thomas Brett," with three of Mr. Johnson's posthumous tracts, and part of his correspondence with Dr. Hickes, Mr. Nelson, and Dr. Brett.'

JOHNSON (MAURICE), an excellent antiquary, and founder of the Gentleman's Society at Spalding, was descended from a family much distinguished in the last century. At Berkhamstead, the seat of one of his relations, were half-length portraits of his grandfather, old Henry Johnson and his lady, and sir Charles and lady Bickerstaff, and their daughter, who was mother to sir Henry Johnson, and to Benjamin Johnson, poet-laureat to James I. who, agreeably to the orthography of that age, spelt his name Jonson. Sir Henry was painted half-length, by Frederick Zucchero; and the picture was esteemed capital. The family of Johnson were also allied to many other families of consideration. Mr. Johnson, born at Spalding, a member of the Inner Temple, London, and steward of the soke or manor of Spalding, married early in life a daughter of Joshua Ambler, esq. of that place. She was the granddaughter of Sir Anthony Oldfield, and lineally descended. from Sir Thomas Gresham, the founder of Gresham-college, and of the Royal Exchange, London. By this lady he had twenty-six children, of whom sixteen sat down together to his table.

Mr. Johnson in the latter part of his life was attacked with a vertiginous disorder in his head, which frequently interrupted his studies, and at last put a period to his life,

1 Life by Dr. Brett.-Gen. Dict.-Biog. Brit.

Feb. 6, 1755. He acquired a general esteem from the frankness and benevolence of his character, which displayed itself not less in social life than in the communication of his literary researches. Strangers who applied to him for information, though without any introduction except what arose from a genuine thirst for knowledge congenial with his own, failed not to experience the hospitality of his board. While their spirit of curiosity was feasted by the liberal conversation of the man of letters, their social powers were at the same time gratified by the hospitable. frankness of the benevolent Englishman. The following eulogium on him by Dr. Stukeley, is transcribed from the original in the "Minutes of the Society of Antiquaries :” "Maurice Johnson, esq. of Spalding in Lincolnshire, counsellor at law, a fluent orator, and of eminence in his profession; one of the last of the founders of the Society of Antiquaries, 1717, except Br. Willis and W. Stukeley; founder of the literary society at Spalding, Nov. 3, 1712, which, by his unwearied endeavours, interest, and application in every kind, infinite labours in writing, collecting, methodizing, has now [1755] subsisted forty years in great reputation, and excited a great spirit of learning and curiosity in South Holland [in Lincolnshire]. They have a public library, and all conveniences for their weekly meeting. Mr. Johnson was a great lover of gardening, and had a fine collection of plants, and an excellent cabinet of medals. He collected large memoirs for the ' History of Carausius,' all which, with his coins of that prince, he sent to me, particularly a brass one which he supposed his son, resembling those of young Tetricus. A good radiated CAES SPFA. Rev. a woman holds a cornucopiæ, resting her right hand on a pillar or rudder, LOCIS or CISLO. In general the antiquities of the great mitred priory of Spalding, and of this part of Lincolnshire, are for ever obliged to the care and diligence of Maurice Johnson, who has rescued them from oblivion."

An accurate account of his many learned communications to the Society of Antiquaries of London, as well as of those which he made to the society he founded at Spalding, may be seen in the curious work which furnishes this article.1

JOHNSON (SAMUEL), an English divine of remarkable learning and steadiness in suffering for the principles of the

1 History of the Spalding Society.-Nichols's Bowyer.

Revolution in 1688, was born in 1649, in Warwickshire; and being put to St. Paul's school in London, studied with such success and reputation, that as soon as he was fit for the university, he was made keeper of the library to that school. In this station he applied himself to the Oriental languages, in which he made great progress. He was of Trinity college, Cambridge, but left the university without taking a degree. He entered into orders, and was presented by a friend, Mr. Robert Biddulph, in 1669-70, to the rectory of Corringham in Essex. This living, worth only 80%. a year, was the only church preferment he ever had; and, as the air of the place did not agree with him, he placed a curate upon the spot, and settled himself at London; a situation so much the more agreeable to him, as he had a strong disposition for politics, and had even made some progress in that study before he was presented to this living.

The times were turbulent; the duke of York declaring himself a Papist, his succession to the crown began to be warmly opposed; and this brought the doctrine of indefeasible hereditary right into dispute, which was strongly disrelished' by Johnson, who was naturally of no submissive temper*. This inclination was early observed by his patron, who warned him against the danger of it to one of his profession, and advised him, if he would turn his thoughts to that subject, to read Bracton and Fortescue "de laudibus legum Angliæ," &c, that so he might be acquainted with the old English constitution; but by no means to make politics the subject of his sermons, for that matters of faith and practice formed more suitable admonitions from the pulpit. Johnson, it is said, religiously

Of this truth we cannot have a stronger evidence than from himself. In a piece printed 1689, speaking of bishop Burnet's Pastoral Letter, published a little before, in order to place king William's right to the crown upon conquest, he expresses himself thus: "I will presently join issue with this conquering bishop, for I have not been afraid of a conqueror these 18 years; for long since I used to walk by the New Exchange gate, where stood an overgrown porter with his gown and staff, giving him a resemblance of auhority,whose business it was to regulate he coachmen before the entrance; and

would make nothing of lifting a coachman off his box, and beating him, and throwing him into his box again. I have several times looked up at this tall mastering fellow, and put the case: Suppose this conqueror should take me up under his arm, like a gizzard, and run away with me; am I his subject? No, thought I, I am my own, and not his: and, having thus invaded me, if I could not otherwise rescue myself from him, I would smite him under the fifth rib. The application is easy." Tract concerning king James's Abrogation, in our author's works, p. 207, 268.