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,

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 ge neral 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.'

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 801. 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, pubished 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 bis gown and staff, giving him a resemblance of authority, whose business it was to regulate the 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 bim under the fifth rib. The application is easy." Tract concerning king James's Abrogation, in our author's works, p. 207, 268.

observed this advice; and though, by applying himself to the study of the books recommended to him, he became well versed in the English constitution, yet he never introduced it in his sermons, but employed these, with zeal, to expose the absurdity and mischief of the Popish religion, which was then too much encouraged, and would, he thought, unavoidably be established if the next heir to the crown was not set aside. This point he laboured incessantly in his private conversation, and became so good a master of the arguments for it, that the opposers of the court gave him suitable encouragement to proceed. The earl of Essex admitted him into his company; and lord William Russel, respecting his parts and probity, made him his domestic chaplain. This preferment placed him in a conspicuous point of view; and in 1679 he was appointed to preach before the mayor and aldermen at Guildhallchapel, on Palm-Sunday. He took that opportunity of preaching against Popery; and from this time, he tells us himself," he threw away his liberty with both hands, and with his eyes open, for his country's service." In short, he began to be regarded by his party as their immoveable bulwark; and to make good that character, while the bill of exclusion was carried on by his patron at the head of that party in the House of Commons, his chaplain, to promote the same cause, engaged the ecclesiastical champion of passive obedience, Dr. Hickes, in a book entitled "Julian the Apostate, &c." published in 1682. This tract being written to expose the doctrine, then generally received, of passive obedience, was answered by Dr. Hickes, in a piece entitled "Jovian, &c." to which Johnson drew up a reply, under the title of "Julian's arts to undermine and extirpate Christianity," &c. This was printed and entered at Stationers'-hall, 1683, in order to be published; but, seeing his patron lord Russel seized and imprisoned, Johnson thought proper to check his zeal, and take the advice of his friends in suppressing it.

The court, however, having information of it, he was summoned, about two months after lord Russel was beheaded, to appear before the king and council, where the lord keeper North examined him upon these points: 1. "Whether he was the author of a book called Julian's

Dr. Hickes's production here attacked, was a sermon preached before the lord mayor in 1681, and published in 1682.

Arts and Methods to undermine and extirpate Christi anity'?" To which having answered in the affirmative, he was asked, "Why, after the book had been so long entered at Stationers'-hall, it was not published?" To which he replied, "That the nation was in too great a ferment to have the matter further debated at that time." Upon this he was commanded to produce one of those books to the council, being told that it should be published if they approved it; but he answered, "he had suppressed them himself, so that they were now his own private thoughts, for which he was not accountable to any power upon earth." The council then dismissed him; but he was sent for twice afterwards, and the same questions urged, to which he returned the same answers, and was then sent prisoner to the Gatehouse, by a warrant of commitment dated Aug. 3, 1683, and signed by sir Leoline Jenkins, one of the privy council, and principal secretary of state. He was bailed out of prison by two friends, and the court used all possible means to discover the book; but, being disappointed in the search, recourse was had to promises, and a considerable sum, besides the favour of the court, was offered for one of the copies, to the person in whose hands they were supposed to be lodged. This was refused; and, as neither threats nor promises prevailed, the court was obliged to drop the prosecution upon that book, and an information against Johnson was lodged in the King's-bench, for writing "Julian the Apostate," &c. The prosecution was begun and carried on by the interest of the duke of York. The following was one of the first of the passages on which the information was founded: "And therefore, I much wonder at those men who trouble the nation at this time of day, with the unseasonable prescription of prayers and tears, and the passive obedience of the Thebean legion, and such-like last remedies, which are proper only at such a time as the laws of our country are armed against our religion." The attack of this apparently innocent sentence gives a strong idea of the violence of the times.

When Mr. Johnson was brought to trial, he employed Mr. Wallop as his counsel, who urged for his client, that he had offended against no law of the land; that the book, taken together, was innocent; but that any treatise might be made criminal, if treated as those who drew up the information had treated this. The judges, however, had orders to proceed in the cause, and the chief justice Jef