the society of Lincoln's inn, and having been recommended to Mr. Eyre, a very great lawyer, and one of the judges of the king's bench, in the reign of king William, this gentleman gave him assistance in his studies.

Under

so able a master, he quickly acquired a competent knowledge of the laws, and was soon noticed as a rising man in his profession. He had an uncommon vein of wit and humour, of which he afforded the world sufficient evidence in two pamphlets; one intituled, "Several assertions proved, in order to create another species of money than gold and silver;" the second, "An essay on a registry for titles of lands." This last is written in a very humorous style.

In the year 1698, Mr. Asgill published a treatise on the possibility of avoiding death, intitled "An argument, proving that, according to the covenant of eternal life, revealed in the scriptures, man may be translated from hence into that eternal life without passing through death, although the human nature of Christ himself could not thus be translated till he had passed through death," printed originally in 1700, and reprinted several years since. This raised a considerable clamour, and Dr. Sacheverell mentioned it among other blasphemous writings, which induced him to think the church in danger. In 1699, an act being passed for resuming forfeited estates in Ireland, commissioners were appointed to settle claims; and Mr. Asgill being at this time somewhat embarrassed in his circumstances, resolved to go over to Ireland. On his arrival there, the favour of the commissioners, and his own. merit, procured him great practice, the whole nation almost being then engaged in law-suits, and among these there were few considerable, in which Mr. Asgill was not retained on one side or other, so that in a very short space of time he acquired a considerable fortune. He pur chased a large estate in Ireland; and the influence this purchase gave him, occasioned his being elected a member of the House of Commons in that kingdom. He was in Munster when the session began; and, before he could reach Dublin, he was informed, that, upon a complaint, the House had voted the last-mentioned book of his to be a blasphemous libel, and had ordered it to be burnt; however, he took his seat in the house, where he sat only four days, before he was expelled for this performance,

and being about the same time involved in a number of law-suits, his affairs soon grew much embarrassed in Ireland, so that he resolved to return to England, where, in 1705, he was chosen member for the borough of Bramber, in the county of Sussex, and sat for several years; but in the interval of privilege in 1707, being taken in execution at the suit of Mr. Holland, he was committed to the Fleet. The houses meeting in November, Mr. Asgill applied; and on the 16th of December was demanded out of custody by a serjeant at arms with the mace, and the next day took his seat in the house. Between his application and his discharge, complaint was made to the house of the treatise for which he had been expelled in Ireland, and a committee was appointed to examine it: of this committee, Edward Harley, esq. was chairman, who made a report, that the book contained several blasphemous expressions, and seemed to be intended to ridicule the scriptures. Thursday, the 18th of September 1707, was appointed for him to make his defence, which he did with considerable spirit, but as he still continued to maintain the assertions he had laid down in that treatise, he was expelled. From this time, Mr. Asgill's affairs grew more desperate, and he was obliged to retire, first to the Mint, and then became a prisoner in the King's Bench, but removed himself thence to the Fleet, and in the rules of one or other of these prisons continued thirty years, during which time he published a multitude of small political tracts, most of which were well received. He also drew bills and answers, and did other business in his profession till his death, which happened some time in November 1738, when he was upwards of fourscore, or, as some thought, upwards of an hundred years of age. The most considerable of his works are. 1. "De jure divino; or, an assertion, that the title of the house of Hanover to the succession of the British monarchy (on failure of issue of her present majesty), is a title hereditary, and of divine institution," 1710, 8vo. 2. His "Defence on his Expulsion; to which is added, an Introduction and Postscript," 1712, 8vo. Of the first pamphlet there were several editions; and, not long after it was published, he sent abroad another treatise, under the title of Mr. Asgill's Apology for an omission in his late publication, in which are contained summaries of all the acts

made for strengthening the protestant succession." 3. "The Pretender's declaration abstracted from two anonymous pamphlets, the one entitled Jus sacrum; the other, Memoirs of the chevalier de St. George; with memoirs of two other chevaliers in the reign of Henry VII." 1713, 8vo. 4. "The succession of the house of Hanover vindicated, against the Pretender's second declaration, in folio, entitled, The hereditary right of the crown of England asserted, &c." 1714, 8vo. This was in answer to Mr. Bedford's famous book. 5.The Pretender's declaration from Plombiers, 1714, Englished; with a postscript before it in relation to Dr. Lesley's letter sent after it," 1715, 8vo. Besides these, he wrote an "Essay for the Press," the "Metamorphoses of Man," "A question upon Divorce," 1717, "A treatise against Woolston," and several other pieces.

1

ASH (JOHN), LL.D. a dissenting minister at Pershore, in Worcestershire, of whom we have not been able to recover any particulars, was the author of some useful works. The first was "The easiest introduction to Dr. Lowth's English Grammar," 12mo, 1766. His next, "A new and complete Dictionary of the English Language," 2 vols. 8vo, 1775, the plan of which was extensive beyond any thing of the kind ever attempted, and perhaps embraced much more than was necessary or useful. It is valuable, however, as containing a very large proportion of obsolete words, and such provincial or cant words as have crept into general use. In 1777, he published "Sentiments on Education, collected from the best writers, properly methodized, and interspersed with occasional observations," 2 vols. 12mo. In this there are few original remarks, but those few shew an acquaintance with the best principles of virtuous and useful education, in which, we have been informed, the author employed some part of his time. Dr. Ash died in the 55th year of his age at Pershore, March 1779.

2

ASHBY (GEORGE), an English divine and antiquary, was born Dec. 5, 1724, in Red Lion street, Clerkenwell, and educated at Croydon, Westminster, and Eton schools. In October 1740, he was admitted of St. John's college, Cambridge, and took his degrees, B. A. 1744, M. A. 1748, B.D. 1756. He was presented by a relation to the rectory of Hungerton, and in 1759 to that of Twyford, both in 1 Biog. Brit.

2 Gent. and London Mag. 1779.

Leicestershire, but resigned the former in 1767, and the latter in 1769. In 1774 he was elected F. S. A. and the same year accepted the college rectory of Barrow, in Suffolk, where he constantly resided for thirty-four years. In Oct. 1780, he was inducted into the living of Stansfield, in Suffolk, owing to the favour of Dr. Ross, bishop of Exeter, who, entirely unsolicited, gave him a valuable portion of the vicarage of Bampton, in Oxfordshire; but this being out of distance from his college living, he procured an exchange of it for Stansfield. Dr. Ross's friendship for him began early in college, and continued uniformly steady through all changes of place and situation, In 1793, he gradually lost his sight, but retained, amidst so severe a privation to a man of literary research, his accustomed chearfulness. In his latter days he had repeated paralytic attacks, of one of which he died, June 12, 1808, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. Mr. Ashby published nothing himself, but was an able and obliging contributor to many literary undertakings. In the Archæologia, vol. III. is a dissertation, from his pen, on a singular coin of Nerva, found at Colchester. The Historian of Leicestershire has repeatedly acknowledged his obligations to Mr. Ashby, particularly for his dissertation on the Leicester milliary. His services have been also amply acknowledged by Mr. Nichols for assistance in the life of Bowyer; by Mr. Harmer, in the preface to his "Observations on Scripture"; and by Daines Barrington, in his work on the Statutes, p. 212; but both the last without mentioning his name. The late bishop Percy, Mr. Granger, and Mr. Gough, have acknowledged his contributions more pointedly. His valuable library and manuscripts were sold by Mr. Deck, bookseller at Bury, by a priced catalogue.

1

ASHE (SIMEON), a Puritan minister, first settled in Staffordshire, where he became known to Hildersham, Dod, Ball, Langley, and other non-conformists of that time, was educated at Emanuel college, Cambridge, under Dr. Stooker. He exercised his ministry in London twenty-three years. In the time of the civil wars, he was chaplain to the earl of Warwick. As he was a man of fortune and character, his influence was great among the

1 Nichols's Life of Bowyer, vol. I.—Gent. Mag. vol. LXIII. p. 977; and vol. LXXVIII. 566, 653.-Granger's Letters.

presbyterians. He was some time chaplain to the earl of Manchester, and fell under the displeasure of Cromwell's party, whom he had disobliged by his violent opposition to the engagement. He had a very considerable hand in restoring Charles II. and went to congratulate his majesty at Breda. Dr. Calamy speaks of him as a man of real sanctity, and a non-conformist of the old stamp. He died in 1662, and was buried the eve of Bartholomew day. Dr. Walker censures him for his zeal against the characters of the clergy in general, in which he shares with many of his brethren. He published several sermons preached before the parliament, or the magistrates, on public occasions, and funeral sermons for Jeremy Whitaker, Ralph Robinson, Robert Strange, Thomas Gataker, Richard Vines, and the countess of Manchester, a treatise on power of Godliness," and prefaces to the works of John Ball, and others.1

"the

ASHLEY (ROBERT), a Wiltshire gentleman, descended from the family of that name residing at Nashhill in that county, was born in 1565, and admitted a gentleman commoner of Hart hall in Oxford, in 1580. From the university he removed to the Middle Temple, where he was called to the dignity of barrister at law. After some time he travelled into Holland, France, &c. conversing with the learned, and frequenting the public libraries. Being returned into England, he lived many years in the Middle Temple, and honoured the commonwealth of learning with several of his lucubrations. He died in a good old age, the beginning of October 1641, and was buried in the Temple church the 4th of the same month. He gave several books to that society. His principal works were, 1. "A Relation of the kingdom of Cochin China," Lond. 1633, 4to, which is chiefly taken from an Italian work of Christopher Barri. 2. A Translation from French into Latin verse of Du Bartas's "Urania, or heavenly muse," London, 1589,

4to.

3. A Translation from Spanish into English of " Almanzor, the learned and victorious king that conquered Spain, his life and death," London, 1627, 4to. 4. A Translation from Italian into English of "Il Davide perseguitate," i. e. David persecuted, London, 1637, written originally by the marquis Virgilio Malvezzi. Wood tells us, that part of the impression of this book had a new title

Calamy,-Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy, Part I. p. 48, 113, 114, 117.