Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 39.djvu/10

 London, 1878. 21. 'Wosco's Compendium of Italian History,' translated and completed, London, 1881. 22. 'Guide to Employment in the Civil Service,' with introduction, 1882. 23. 'An Introduction to Mental Philosophy on the Inductive Method,' London, 1884. 24. 'Hausrath's Antinous' (translation), London, 1884. 25. 'Manual of the History of Philosophy,' London, 1884.



MORELL, THOMAS (1703–1784), classical scholar, born at Eton, Buckinghamshire, on 18 March 1703, was son of Thomas Morell. On his father's death his mother supported herself by keeping a boardinghouse at Eton, on the foundation of which Thomas was admitted in 1715. On 3 Aug. 1722 he was elected to King's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1726, M.A. in 1730, and D.D. in 1743. In July 1733 he was admitted M.A. 'ad eundem' at Oxford, and on 28 June 1759 was 're-incorporated' as D.D. at Cambridge (, Alumni Oxon, 1715-1886, iii. 985). He was appointed curate of Kew, Surrey, in 1731, and for a short time acted as curate of Twickenham, Middlesex. On 20 March 1737 the college presented him to the rectory of Buckland, Hertfordshire, (, Hertfordshire, Edwinstree Hundred, p. 53). He was elected F.S.A. on 20 Oct. following (, List of Soc. Antiq., 1798), and in 1768 was assistant secretary to the society (, Lit. Anecd. v. 446). On 16 June 1768 he became F.R.S. (, Hist. of Roy. Society, Append, iv). In 1775 he was appointed chaplain to the garrison at Portsmouth, and for several years he preached the Fairchild botanical sermon on Whit-Tuesday at St. Leonard's, Shoreditch.

Morell resided chiefly at Turnham Green, Middlesex, where he had for neighbours Thomson, Hogarth, and Garrick. Handel was also his friend. He died at Turnham Green on 19 Feb. 1784, and was buried on 27 Feb. at Chiswick (, Environs, ii. 216). In 1738 he married Anne, daughter of Henry Barker of Chiswick, by whom he had no issue. His library was sold in 1785 (, iii. 646).

Morell was a warm friend and a cheerful companion, who loved a jest, told a good story, and sang a good song. He was careless of his own interests and dressed ill, and his improvidence kept him always poor and in debt. His knowledge of music was considerable, and he played the organ with some skill. He maintained that choral services should be generally adopted in parish churches (cf. note by William Cole cited in, ix. 789).

Morell's reputation as a classical scholar rests on his 'Thesaurus Græcaæ-Poeseωs; sive Lexicon Græco-Prosodiacum,' 2 pts. 4to, Eton, 1762, of which improved editions by Edward Maltby [q. v.], afterwards bishop of Durham, were published in 1815 and 1824. The introduction was reprinted in P. Moccia's 'Prosodia Graeca,' 1767, 8vo. He also published revised editions of Hederich's 'Greek Lexicon' (1766 and 1778), Ainsworth's 'Latin Dictionary' (1773), and the 'Gradus ad Parnassum' (1782). For Eton school he revised the 'Exempla Minora' (many editions) and edited the 'Hecuba,' 'Orestes,' 'Phoenissse,' and 'Alcestis' of Euripides (2 vols. 8vo, London, 1748). His blank verse translation of the 'Hecuba' (8vo, 1749) is very feeble. In 1767 he edited the 'Prometheus Vinctus' of Æschylus, with a blank verse translation (8vo), and reissued it in quarto in 1773, when Garrick did his best to get him subscribers (, Life of Johnson, ed. 1848, p. 386). For the preparation of this work he used a copy of the 'Æschylus' published by Henry Stephens in 1557, which, coming into the possession of the Rev. Richard Hooper, was by him presented to Cambridge University Library (Notes and Queries, 1st ser. v. 604, vi. 125, 322, 373). Morell likewise edited the 'Philoctetes' of Sophocles (8vo, 1777), and compiled an 'Index ad Sophoclem' (4to, 1787). He made a creditable translation of Seneca's 'Epistles,' which, though completed in 1753, was not published until after his death (2 vols. 4to, 1786); the manuscript is in the British Museum, Additional MS. 10604.

Morell supplied the libretti for Handel's oratorios of 'Judas Maccabseus,' 1746, 'Alexander Balas,' 1748, 'Joshua,' 1748, ' Solomon,' 1749, 'Theodora,' 1750, 'Jephtha,' 1752, ' Gideon,' 1754, and ' The Triumph of Time and Truth,' 1758, a translation from the Italian of Cardinal Pamfili. The well-known lines beginning 'See the Conquering Hero comes' in 'Joshua' were subsequently transferred to 'Judas Maccabaeus.' They were introduced into Nathaniel Lee's tragedy 'The Rival Queens' in late acting versions (cf. ed. 1785, p. 21), and have been on that account erroneously ascribed to Lee [q. v.] His other poetical writings are:
 * 1) 'Poems on Divine Subjects, original and translated from the Latin of Marcus Hieronymus Vida, bishop of Alba (and M. A. Flaminius),' 8vo, London, 1732 (2nd edit. 1736).
 * 2) 'Congratulatory Verses on the Marriage of the Prince of Orange with the Princess Anne,' 1737.
 * 3) 'The Christian's Epinikion, or Song