Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 61.djvu/71

 of the French, when he was rewarded by a life pension of 250l. a year from the English government. Blanco White's health, however, had broken down, and his life was ever afterwards tormented by repeated if not continuous illness. Besides writing, he had worked hard to improve his English and to learn Greek. He had also renewed his theological studies and become a Christian again, finding, as he thought, that the church of England had cast off the corruptions which had driven him from catholicism. He took the sacrament in his parish church in 1812; and, after dropping the ‘Español,’ signed the Thirty-nine articles on 10 Aug. 1814 to qualify himself for acting as an English clergyman. He settled at Oxford to pursue his studies. He read prayers occasionally at St. Mary's, and felt a revival of his religious enthusiasm. He left Oxford in 1815 to become tutor to Lord Holland's son. He led an ascetic life in the singularly uncongenial atmosphere of Holland House. The Hollands were personally kind to the last, but he found his duties as a tutor irksome, and finally retired from his position in June 1817. He lived for a time with his friend James Christie in London, then stayed for a couple of years with a Mr. Carleton at Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire; and in 1821 returned to London to live near the Christies. His ill-health depressed him, and he felt himself a burden to his friends, who, however, seem all to have been greatly attracted by his amiable character. In 1820 he was slowly improving, and was invited by Thomas Campbell, then editor of the ‘New Monthly,’ to contribute articles. The first part of his book, ‘Doblado's Letters,’ appeared in the ‘New Monthly,’ and made him generally known. He wrote the article upon ‘Spain’ in the supplement to the ‘Encyclopædia Britannica.’ He was engaged at the end of 1822 by Rudolph Ackermann [q. v.] to write the chief part of a journal intended for Spanish America, called ‘Variedades.’ He was to have 300l. a year as editor, and carried on the work till October 1825 (Life, i. 225, 397). He gave it up upon becoming interested in the controversy between Southey and Charles Butler upon the merits of the Roman and Anglican churches. He published his ‘Evidences against Catholicism’ in 1825. It was warmly praised by his friend Southey. To prove his independence, he declared that he would never accept preferment. By this book and its sequels he became a protestant champion, and scandalised his friends at Holland House by turning even against catholic emancipation, though with some hesitation. In 1826 the university of Oxford conferred the M.A. degree upon him in recognition of his services to the church, and in October he settled at Oxford as a member of Oriel College, intending to pursue his studies. He was made a member of the Oriel common-room, and was welcomed by the men who were soon afterwards to be leaders of the Oxford ‘movement.’ Newman (who played the violin with him), Pusey, Hurrell Froude, and others were on very friendly terms; but his closest friendship was with Whately. Whately and his friend Nassau Senior were interested in a new quarterly which was started in 1828 as the ‘London Review.’ Blanco White was appointed editor, and Newman was one of his contributors. The ‘Review,’ however, was too ponderous, and died after two numbers. Meanwhile White's knowledge of the catholic church made him interesting to the rising party. He was officiating as a clergyman, and preached to the university. He explained the use of the breviary to Pusey and Froude (Life, i. 439). His knowledge of the scholastic philosophy, then hardly known at Oxford, interested his friends. When Hampden preached the Bampton lectures of 1832 upon the corruptions of the true faith introduced by the schoolmen, he was thought to have been inspired by Blanco White. Liddon says that the ‘germ’ of the book is in Blanco White's ‘Facts and Inferences’ (an early version of his ‘Heresy and Orthodoxy;’ see Life, iii. 362). Mozley in his ‘Reminiscences’ takes the same view, although Hampden's friends denied what appears to be at least a grave overstatement. The general argument was too familiar to require a special suggestion, though Blanco White may have drawn Hampden's attention to the particular line of inquiry. Blanco White's later career made it desirable for Hampden's opponents to attribute the book to heterodox inspiration.

Blanco White's singularly sensitive character made his Oxford residence uncomfortable. He was keenly annoyed by the attacks of the protestant party when he voted for Peel at the election of 1829. He thought that the university generally disliked him as a foreigner and an outsider. Not being a fellow, he was only on sufferance in the Oriel common-room; the servants were impertinent, and junior fellows took precedence of him. Rough raillery from old-fashioned dons stung him to the soul; and he was humiliated by civilities as savouring of charity. When his friend