Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 31.djvu/167

King of Drury Lane. He announced, and then withdrew, a pamphlet called ‘A Word or two at Parting, or a Letter to R. B. Sheridan, Esq.,’ &c., and was rather fond of addressing the public upon his grievances, real or imaginary. Some letters of his in the ‘Garrick Correspondence’ show that, though his relations with Garrick were friendly, there were occasional divergences of interests or opinion. Other letters appear in the ‘Manager's Note-Book’ contributed to the ‘New Monthly Magazine.’

  KING, WILLIAM (1624–1680), musician, born in 1624, son of George King, organist of Winchester Cathedral, was admitted a clerk of Magdalen College, Oxford, on 18 Oct. 1648, graduated B.A. 5 June 1649, and in 1652 was promoted to a chaplaincy at Magdalen. This he held until 25 Aug. 1654, when he became a probationer-fellow of All Souls' College. He was incorporated M.A. at Cambridge in 1655. On 10 Dec. 1664 he was appointed successor to Pickover as organist of New College, to preside over the new organ there at a salary of 50l. a year. He continued organist until his death on 7 Nov. 1680. He was buried in New College cloisters, where a Latin inscription marks his grave.

King composed a full service in B flat, and some anthems, preserved among the Elvey MSS. at the Bodleian. He also set to music Cowley's ‘Mistress,’ under the title, ‘Poems of Mr. Cowley and others, composed into Songes and Ayres, with Thorough Basse for the Theorbo, Harpsecon, or Basse-Violl,’ Oxford, 1668, fol. 

 KING, WILLIAM, D.C.L. (1663–1712), miscellaneous writer, born in 1663, was the son of Ezekiel King, gentleman, of London, from whom he inherited a small estate in Middlesex. In his ‘Adversaria’ he mentions his great-grandfather, a merchant named La Motte, and his cousin Harcourt; and he had some connection with the Hyde family. In 1678 he was admitted a scholar of Westminster, and was elected student of Christ Church, Oxford, where he matriculated on 16 Dec. 1681. On 8 Dec. 1685 he graduated B.A. as a grand compounder, proceeding M.A. on 6 July 1688, and B.C.L. and D.C.L. 7 July 1692. He early became fond of desultory reading. In 1688 he joined Edward Hannes [q. v.] in ‘Reflections upon Mons. Varillas's History of Heresy,’ chiefly in defence of Wycliffe. About 1690 he published an amusing ‘Dialogue shewing the way to Modern Preferment.’ In November 1692 he obtained a fiat from Archbishop Tillotson admitting him an advocate at Doctors' Commons. He continued to use his talents as a humorous writer upon the side of the tories and high church party. In 1693 he contributed a pamphlet to the famous Sherlock controversy (see, Hist. chap. xvii.) In 1694 he published ‘Animadversions’ on the account of Denmark, by Robert (afterwards Lord) Molesworth [q. v.], a sound whig, who had attacked the Danish system of government. The Danish envoy supplied materials to King, and he received the thanks of the university of Copenhagen. Prince George of Denmark also obtained his appointment as secretary to the Princess Anne.

Charles Boyle, in the book commonly called ‘Boyle upon Bentley’ [see under, 1662–1742], mentions an interview between Bentley and a bookseller at which King was present, and gives a letter from King describing Bentley's insolence. Bentley attacked King in his famous ‘Dissertation’ (1699); and in the same year appeared ‘A Short Account of Dr. Bentley's Humanity and Justice,’ with a second letter from King to Boyle. King probably gave other help to Boyle, and, according to Pope, as reported by Warburton, contributed the droll argument to prove that Bentley was not the author of the ‘Dissertation’ and the index (Letters from an Eminent Prelate, 1809, p. 11). King's ‘Dialogues of the Dead,’ 1699, one of his cleverest productions, attacks Bentley in a series of ten dialogues.

Another very characteristic work appeared, probably a few months earlier than the ‘Dialogues of the Dead.’ This was ‘A Journey to London in the year 1698. After the ingenious method of that made by Dr. Martin Lister to Paris in the same year. Written originally in French, by Monsieur Sorbière, and newly translated into English,’ 1699. This was a travesty of a very recent book upon Paris by Martin Lister [q. v.] Sorbière had published a much-abused book of travels in England (1664), and King adopts the name to insinuate a comparison between their styles. He thought this his best work, and described many of his later writings as ‘by the author