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  notes, unrevised. The warmth of his expressions, and an incautious frankness of statement in his autobiographical writings, laid him open to ridicule and undeserved reproach. It was primarily against Whitefield that the more persistent attacks upon methodism were levelled. Apart from his evangelistic work he was in many ways a pioneer. With none of the administrative genius by which Wesley turned suggestions to account, he anticipated Wesley's lines of action to a remarkable extent. He preceded him in making Bristol a centre of methodist effort; he was beforehand with him in publishing journals, in founding schools, in practising open-air preaching, and in calling his preachers to a conference. His religious periodical, ‘The Christian History’ (begun in 1740), may be looked upon as a predecessor of the ‘Arminian Magazine’ (1778).

Whitefield's complexion was fair, his eyes dark blue and small; originally slender, he became corpulent from his fortieth year, though his diet was spare, and a cow-heel his favourite luxury. Like Wesley, he rose at four; his punctuality was rigid, his love of order extreme; ‘he did not think he should die easy, if he thought his gloves were out of their place’ (, p. 82). He was ‘irritable, but soon appeased’ (ib. p. 81); his beneficence was the outcome of the generous glow of his affections.

The National Portrait Gallery has a portrait, painted about 1737 by John Woolaston, in which Whitefield is depicted as preaching from a pulpit; a female figure in front of the congregation is supposed to represent his wife. Other portraits are by Nathaniel Hone [q. v.], engraved by Picot; and (1768) by John Russell (1745–1806) [q. v.], engraved in mezzotint by Watson. A whole-length mezzotint (1743) by F. Kyte is said by Gillies to be the best likeness of him in his younger years. His effigy in wax was executed (during his lifetime) by Rachel Wells of Philadelphia, and was given to Bethesda College; another was by her sister, Mrs. Patience Wright of New York (, pp. 280, 358). Caricatures are very numerous.

Whitefield's ‘Works’ were edited, 1771–2, 6 vols. 8vo, by John Gillies, D.D. [q. v.] The collection contains letters, tracts, and sermons, with a few pieces previously unpublished. It does not contain the autobiographical pieces, the ‘Short Account’ (1740), the seven ‘Journals’ (issued between 1738 and 1741; none of them republished in full since 1744), the ‘Christian History’ (1740–7), the ‘Full Account’ (1747), and the ‘Further Account’ (1747). In 1756, 12mo, Whitefield published ‘The Two First Parts of his Life, with his Journals revised, corrected, and abridged.’ The fullest bibliography of original editions of Whitefield's publications will be found embedded in Tyerman's ‘Life.’ He wrote prefaces to several works; notably, a brief ‘recommendatory epistle’ to an ‘Abstract,’ 1739, 12mo (made by Wesley), of the ‘Life’ of Thomas Halyburton [q. v.]; and a preface to a folio edition, 1767, of the works of Bunyan. Julian does not include him in his ‘Dictionary’ as a hymn-writer, and it is doubtful whether any of the verses which he uses as the expression of his own feelings are strictly original. His alterations of the hymns of the Wesleys drew from John Wesley (who does not name him) the scornful remarks in the preface to his hymn-book of 1780.

[The Short Account, Journals, Christian History, Full Account, Further Account, and Letters of Whitefield are the primary authorities for his biography. The Memoirs, 1772, by Gillies, is a careful piece of work, which has been often re-edited, but not always improved. The Life and Times, 1832, by Robert Philip [q. v.] (criticised by Sir James Stephen, Edinburgh Review, July 1838), is very full but discursive. The Life and Travels, 1871, by Gledstone, is the best for general use. The Life, 1876–7, 2 vols., by Tyerman, is a nearly exhaustive compendium of materials. Of biographies published in America, the Life, 1846, by D. Newell, and the Life, 1866, by D. A. Harsha, may be mentioned. A Faithful Narrative of the Life, 1739, is by a friend, but the Life … by an Impartial Hand, 1739, and Genuine and Secret Memoirs, 1742, are anonymous lampoons. See also Jay's Memoirs of Cornelius Winter, 1809, pp. 72 sq.; Life and Times of Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, 1839, 2 vols.; Richardson's George Whitefield, Centenary Commemoration of Tottenham Court Chapel, 1857; Wakeley's Anecdotes of Whitefield, 1872; Macaulay's Whitefield Anecdotes, 1886; Stratford's Good and Great Men of Gloucestershire, 1867, pp. 231 sq.; Gloucestershire Notes and Queries, 1881, ii.; Winsor's Hist. of America, vol. v. passim; Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1888, iv. 1541, 1892, iv. 1621; extract from register of St. Mary de Crypt, Gloucester, per Rev. W. Lloyd.] 

WHITEFOORD, CALEB (1734–1810), wit and diplomatist, the natural son of Colonel Charles Whitefoord [q. v.], was born at Edinburgh in 1734 and educated at James Mundell's school and Edinburgh University (matriculating on 3 March 1748). His father acquiesced in his objections to entering the ministry, and placed him in the counting-house of a wine merchant, Archibald Stewart, of York Buildings, London. During 1756 (having in the meantime set up in the wine business at 8 Craven Street),