Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/51

 ABBOT. 15 ABBOT (MAURICE), youngeft brother to the archbimop, r.i. and born at Guilford, and bred to trade in London, when; 1 he became an eminent merchant, and difHnguiflK-d himfclf u the direction of the affairs of the Jiaft India company, and in the moit public fpirited extenfion of the national commerce. He was employed as a commiffioner in the treaty concluded July 7. i6iq, with the Dutch Eaft India company refpecling the commerce to the Molucca iflands, one of the moft memo- rable tranfations of that rei^n, and in confequence of that treaty accompanied fir Dudley Digi>s to Holland in 1620, to negotiate the recovery of the goods of fomc Englifh merchants. In 1623, he was one of the farmers of the cuftom?, and in 1624 one of the council for fettling and efrablifliinp* Virginia. When Charles I. afcendcd the throne, Mr. Ab- bot was the firft perfon that was honoured with knighthood. In 1625 he was elected into parliament for the city of Lon- don ; and in 1627 was chofen fheriff. In 1675 he creeled a fioble monument at Guilford to the memory of his brother the archbimop. In 1638 he was lord mayor of London, and died Jan. 10, 1638; leaving one fon, George., of whom fee below [A]. He was a man of an amiable character j and that his love for trade was rewarded with proportionate fuccefs, ap- pears from a dedication [B] to him, when governor of the Eaft India company. A] George Abbot waselefled probati- He married a daughter of Col.. Purefoy r one* fellow of Metton C. 'liege, 16^4, and of Caldecote-Hall, Warwickftiire; whoi* admitted LL.B. 1630. Wood, in his life houfe he gallantly defended, by the help of archbifhop Abbot, mtmions a third of the fervants only, againft the attacks George; bat there is reafon to fuppofe, of the Princes Rupert and Maurice with that the two G-orges he I'peaks of were 18 troops of horfe, He died Feb. 4, the fame perfon, who appears to have 1648, in has 44th year. See his Epitaph, been author of, i. " The whole Book with fome further particulars, in the " of Jo k paraphrafed, &c. Lond. 1640,'" " Hiftory of Hinckley, by Nichclr, a. " Vii.diciae Sabbathi, 1641" 4tc. 3. 1781," 4^0. p. 437. " Brief Notes upon the whole Book o* [B] Prefixed to a bock, intituled, " Pialms, 165 1," and fome other things. ' Cochin"China, &c. 1633," 410. ABBOT (ROBERT), eldeft brother to the archbifhop, was born alfo in the town of Guilford, in 1560 ; bred up under the fame fchoolmafter there ; and afterwards fent to Ballot college, Oxford. In 1582, he took his degree ofM. A. and foon became a celebrated preacher ; and to this talent he chitfly owed his preferment. Upon his firil fermon at Worcefter, he was chofen lecturer in that city, and foon after relor of All Saints in the fame place. John Stanhope, efq; i-appening to hear him preach at Paul's-crofs, was fo pleafed with him, that he immediately prefented him to the rich living of Bing- ham, in Nottinghamfhire. In 1597, he took his degree of 4 "D. D.