AN UNIVERSAL BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL DICTIONARY. Containing a Faithful Account of THE LIVES, ACTIONS, AND CHARACTERS, OF THE Molt Eminent Persons OF ALL AGES AND ALL COUNTRIES; ALSO THE REVOLUTIONS OF STATES, AND THE SUCCESSION OF SOVEREIGN PRINCES, Collected from the belt Authorities, BY JOHN WATKINS, A.M. L.L.D. Vita enim mortuorum in memoria vivorum eft pofita.-CICERO. LONDON: Printed by T. Davifon and T. Gillet, Fleet-ftreet, For R PHILLIPS, No. 71, St. Paul's Church-Yard; Sold by T. HURST and J. WALLIS, Paternofter Row; CARPENTER and Co. Old 1800. [Price 10s. 6d. boards, or 12s. bound and lettered.] PREFACE. 'N prefenting this Work to the Public there can be no occafion for the Author to expatiate on the Value of the Subject, or on the Utility of the Plan. A BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL LIBRARY, in the form of a Dictionary, and in the compafs of a fingle volume, challenges, at least, the fame degree of refpect, as Geographical Collections of a fimilar nature. It is defigned to answer the purpose of an easy and fatiffactory reference on all points of enquiry, connected with the interesting fubjects of BIOGRAPHY, CHRONOLOGY, AND HISTORY. In drawing up the various articles confiderable pains have been taken to introduce every prominent and characteristic event and circumftance. The works of eminent Writers have been carefully enumerated, and their best editions fpecified; the diftinctive merits of Artifts have been pointed out, and their principal productions mentioned; and the most remarkable events in the lives of more active characters, as in those of Sovereign Princes, Warriors, and Statesmen, have been perfpicuously narrated, and the dates affixed and determined with fcrupulous exactness. Simplicity, and even a studied plainnefs of ftyle, have been adopted, as moft fuitable to the nature of the work; and it may fafely be affirmed, that in no fingle article has any attempt been made, to give a deceitful or partial colouring to the character delineated. a The Author has endeavoured to. render his work COMPLETE, by inferting every interefting name and event likely to be fought for in a collection of this kind; and although he cannot prefume that there are not many defects and omiffions, yet it will be obvious on comparifon, that his work contains from one to two thoufand articles more, than will be found in any fimilar work in the English, or perhaps in any other language. Obferving, with regret, the great number of dif-tinguifhed names which have been paffed over by preceding Biographers, he has diligently employed himfelf in refcuing a confiderable number of thofe names from neglect and oblivion. He has not contented himfelf with barely gleaning from all other Dictionaries, but has fought in every refpectable quarter for memoirs of departed excellence. Many fingle memoirs and fugitive pieces, and many fcarce tracts and voluminous periodical publications, have in the progrefs of the work been feduloudy examined. In reflecting on this part of his labours he feels confiderable fatisfaction and pleasure; he laments, however, that all his enquiries have not been alike fuccefsful, and he is ftill under the neceffity of foliciting communications from thofe intelligent perfons who may difcover any omiffion, which their own particular fources of information may enable them to supply. As the General Biographical Dictionary, in fifteen volumes octavo, is at present the only ftandard work of that kind in our language, an afterism (*) has been affixed to every name in the prefent collection, which is not to be found in that work, Many of thefe are fo |