Page:Cousins's Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature.djvu/299

 Dictionary of English Literature 287

Univ., and was Master of the Mint from 1699, in which capacity he presented reports on the coinage. He was knighted in 1705, and d. at Kensington in 1727. For a short time, after an unfortunate acci dent by which a number of invaluable manuscripts were burned, he suffered from some mental aberration. His writings fall into two classes, scientific and theological. In the first are included his famous treatises, Light and Colours (1672), Optics (1704), the Prin- cipia (1687), in Latin, its full title being Philosophies Naturalis Prin- Acipia Mathematica. In the second are his Observations upon the ^Prophecies of Holy Writ and An Historical Account of Two Notable ^Corruptions of Scripture. In character N. was remarkable for sim plicity, humility, and gentleness, with a great distaste for contro- ersy, in which, nevertheless, he was repeatedly involved. Life by Sir D. Brewster, second ed., 1855, etc. NEWTON, JOHN (1725-1807). Divine and hymn-writer, s. a shipmaster, was b. in London, and for many years led a varied d adventurous life at sea, part of the time on board a man-of-war d part as captain of a slaver. In 1748 he came under strong eligious convictions, and after acting as a tide-waiter at Liverpool
 * or a few years, he applied for orders in 1758, and was ordained

urate of Olney in 1764. Here he became the ultimate and sym- thetic friend of Cowper, in conjunction with whom he produced
 * he Olney Hymns. In 1779 he was translated to the Rectory of St.

lary, Woolnoth, London, where he had great popularity and in- .uence, and wrote many religious works, including Cardiphonia, and emarkable Passages in his Own Life. He lives, however, in his ymns, among which are some of the best and most widely known n the language, such as In evil long I took delight, Glorious things of ~hee are Spoken, How Sweet the Name of Jesus sounds, and many
 * hers. In his latter years N. was blind.

NICHOL, JOHN (1833-1894). Poet and biographer, s. of

ohn P. N., Prof, of Astronomy in Glasgow, ed. at Glasgow and Oxf., nd held the chair of English Literature in Glasgow, 1862-1889. mong his writings are Hannibal (1873), a drama, Death of Themis- ~ s and other Poems (1881), Fragments of Criticism, and American iterature ; also Lives of Bacon, Burns, Carlyle, and Byron.

NOEL, HON. RODEN BERKELEY WRIOTHESLEY (1834-

894). Poet, s. of the ist Earl of Gainsborough, was ed. at Camb. ~e wrote Behind the Veil (1863), The Red Flag (1872), Songs of the eights and Deeps (1885), and Essays on various poets, also a Life Byron.

NORRIS, JOHN (1657-1711). Philosopher and poet, ed. at xf., took orders, and lived a quiet and placid life as a country

rson and thinker. In philosophy he was a Platonist and mystic,

.d was an early opponent of Locke. His poetry, with occasional ne thoughts, is full of far-fetched metaphors and conceits, and is ot seldom dull and prosaic. From 1692 he held G. Herbert's enefice of Bemerton. Among his 23 works are An Idea of Happi-

ss (1683), Miscellanies (1687), Theory and Regulation of Love 1688), Theory of the Ideal and Intelligible World (1701-4), and a Dis- se concerning the Immortality of the Soul (1708).