FULLER, SARAH MARGARET (1810-1850).—Wasb.in Massachusetts,dau.of a lawyer, who encouraged her in over-working herself in the acquisition of knowledge with life-long evil resultsto her health. On his death she supported a large family of brothers and sisters by teaching. Her early studies had made her familiar with the literature not only of England but of France, Spain, and Italy; she had become imbued with German philosophy and mysticism, and she co-operated with Theodore Parker in his revolt against the Puritan theology till then prevalent in New England, and became the conductor of the Transcendentalist organ,The Dial, from 1840-2. She made various translations from the German, andpub. Summer on the Lakes(1844), andPapers on Literature and Art(1846). In the same year she went to Europe, and at Rome met the Marquis Ossoli, an Italian patriot, whom shem.in 1847. She and her husband were in the thick of the Revolution of 1848-9, and in the latter year she was in charge of a hospital at Rome. After the suppression of the Revolution she escaped with her husband from Italy, and took ship for America. The voyage proved most disastrous: small-pox broke out on the vessel, and their infant childd., the ship was wrecked on Fire Island, near New York, and she and her husband were lost. Destitute of personal attractions, she was possessed of a singular power of conciliating sympathy. She was the intimate friend of Emerson, Hawthorn, Channing, and other eminent men.
FULLER, THOMAS (1608-1661).—Divine and antiquary,s.of a clergyman of the same name, wasb.at Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire. Possessed of exceptional intelligence and a wonderful memory, he became a good scholar, and distinguished himself at Camb., where he was sent. Entering the Church, he obtained rapid preferment, including the lectureship at the Savoy, and a chaplaincy to Charles II. He was a voluminous author, his works dealing with theology, morals, history, and antiquities. Among the chief areHistory of the Holy War,i.e.the Crusades (1643),The Holy State and the Profane State(1642),A Pisgah Sight of Palestine(1650),Church History of Britain,History of Cambridge University(1655),Worthies of England(1662), andGood Thoughts in Bad Times. The outstanding characteristic of F.'s writings is shrewd observation conveyed in a style of quaint humour. Lamb says, "His conceits are oftentimes deeply steeped in human feeling and passion." But in addition there is much wisdom and a remarkable power of casting his observations into a compact, aphoristic form. TheWorthies, though far from being a systematic work, is full of interesting biographical and antiquarian matter which, but for the pains of the author, would have been lost. Coleridge says of him, "He was incomparably the most sensible, the least prejudiced great man in an age that boasted a galaxy of great men." F., who was of a singularly amiable character, was a strong Royalist, and suffered the loss of his preferments during the Commonwealth. They were, however, given back to him at the Restoration.
Lives by Russell (1844), J.E. Bailey (1874), and M. Fuller (1886).
FULLERTON, LADY GEORGIANA (LEVESON-GOWER) (1812-1885).—Novelist,dau.of the 1st Earl Granville, and sister of the eminent statesman. She wrote a number of novels, some of which had considerable success. They includeEllen Middleton(1844),Grantley Manor(1847), andToo Strange not to be True(1864). She alsopub.two vols. of verse. She joined the Church of Rome in 1846.
GAIMAR, GEOFFREY (fl.1140?).—Chronicler, translated the chronicle of Geoffrey of Monmouth into French verse for the wife of his patron, Ralph Fitz-Gilbert, and added a continuation dealing with the Saxon Kings. His work is entitledL'Estoire des Engles.
GALT, JOHN (1779-1839).—Novelist and miscellaneous writer,s.of the captain of a West Indiaman, wasb.at Irvine, Ayrshire, but while still a young man he went to London and formed a commercial partnership, which proved unfortunate, and he then entered Lincoln's Inn to study law. A little before this he had produced his first book, a poem on the Battle of Largs, which, however, he soon suppressed. He then went to various parts of the Continent in connection with certain commercial schemes, and met Lord Byron, with whom he travelled for some time. Returning home hepub.Letters from the Levant, which had a favourable reception, and some dramas, which were less successful. He soon, however, found his true vocation in the novel of Scottish country life, and his fame rests upon theAyrshire Legatees(1820),The Annals of the Parish(1821),Sir Andrew Wylie(1822),The Entail(1824), andThe Provost. He was not so successful in the domain of historical romance, which he tried inRingan Gilbaize,The Spae-wife,The Omen, etc., although these contain many striking passages. In addition to his novels G. produced many historical and biographical works, including aLife of Wolsey(1812),Life and Studies of Benjamin West(1816),Tour of Asia,Life of Byron(1830),Lives of the Players, and an Autobiography (1834). In addition to this copious literary output, G. was constantly forming and carrying out commercial schemes, the most important of which was the Canada Company, which, like most of his other enterprises, though conducted with great energy and ability on his part, ended in disappointment and trouble for himself. In 1834 he returned from Canada to Greenock, broken in health and spirits, andd.there in 1839 of paralysis. G. was a man of immense talent and energy, but would have held a higher place in literature had he concentrated these qualities upon fewer objects. Most of his 60 books are forgotten, but some of his novels, especially perhapsThe Annals of the Parish, have deservedly a secure place. The town of Galt in Canada is named after him.
GARDINER, SAMUEL RAWSON (1829-1902).—Historian,b.at Alresford, Hants, wased.at Winchester and Oxf. In 1855 hem.Isabella,dau.ofEdward Irving(q.v.), the founder of the Catholic Apostolic Church, which he joined, and in which he ultimately held high office. About the time of his leaving Oxf. he had planned his great work,The History of England from the Accession of James I. to the Restoration, and the accomplishment of this task he made the great object of his life for more than 40 years. The first two vols. appeared in 1863 asThe History of England from the Accession of James I. to the Disgrace of Chief Justice Cooke, and subsequent instalments appeared under the following titles:Prince Charles andThe Spanish Marriage(1867),England under Buckingham and Charles I.(1875),Personal Government of Charles I.(1877),The Fall of the Government of Charles I.(1881); these were in 1883-4 re-issued in a consolidated form entitledHistory of England from the Accession of James I. to the Outbreak of the Civil War. The second section of the work,History of the Great Civil War, followed in three vols.pub.in 1886, 1889, and 1891 respectively, and three more vols.,History of the Commonwealth and Protectoratein 1894, 1897, and 1901, brought the story down to 1656, when the health of the indefatigable writer gave way, and hed.in 1902. In addition to this monumental work G. wrote many school and college historical text-books, and contributed to the Epochs of Modern History Series,The Thirty Years' War(1874), andThe First Two Stuarts(1876); he also wroteOutlines of English History, three parts (1881-3), andStudents' History of England, three parts (1891). From 1871-85 he was Prof. of History at King's Coll., London, and lecturer on history for the London Society for the Extension of Univ. Teaching. He also ed. many of the historical documents which he unearthed in his investigations, and many of those issued by the "Camden," "Clarendon," and other societies. He was ed. ofThe English Historical Review, and contributed largely to theDictionary of National Biography. The sober and unadorned style of G.'s works did little to commend them to the general reader, but their eminent learning, accuracy, impartiality, and the laborious pursuit of truth which they exhibited earned for him, from the first, the respect and admiration of scholars and serious students of history; and as his great work advanced it was recognised as a permanent contribution to historical literature. In 1882 he received a civil list pension, and was elected to Research Fellowships, first by All Souls' Coll., and subsequently by Merton. He held honorary degrees from the Univ. of Oxford, Gottingen, and Edinburgh.
GARNETT, RICHARD (1835-1906).—Biographer and writer on literature,s.of Richard G., an assistant keeper of Printed Books in the British Museum.B.at Lichfield, anded.at a school in, Bloomsbury, he entered the British Museum in 1851 as an assistant librarian. There he remained for nearly 50 years, and rose to be Keeper of Printed Books. He acquired a marvellous knowledge of books, and of everything connected with pure literature. He made numerous translations from the Greek, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, and wrote books of graceful verse,The Twilight of the Gods and other Tales(1888), various biographical works on Carlyle, Milton, Blake, and others,The Age of Dryden, aHistory of Italian Literature, and contributed many articles to encyclopædias, and to theDictionary of National Biography.
GARRICK, DAVID (1717-1779).—Actor and dramatist,b.at Hereford, but got most of his education at Lichfield, to which hisf.belonged. He was also one of the three pupils who attended Johnson's School at Edial. With his great preceptor, whom he accompanied to London, he always remained on friendly terms. He took to the stage, and became the greatest of English actors. He also wrote various plays, and adaptations, and did not scruple to undertake "improved" versions of some of Shakespeare's greatest playsincludingCymbeline,The Taming of the Shrew, andThe Winter s Tale, performing the same service for Jonson and Wycherley, in the last case with much more excuse. Of his original playsThe Lying ValetandMiss in her Teensare perhaps the best.
GARRISON, WILLIAM LLOYD (1805-1879).—Orator, wasb.at Newburyport, Mass. Though chiefly known for his eloquent advocacy of negro emancipation, he is also remembered for hisSonnets and other Poems(1847).
GARTH, SIR SAMUEL (1661-1719).—Physician and poet,b.at Bolam in the county of Durham, anded.at Camb., he settled as a physician in London, where he soon acquired a large practice. He was a zealous Whig, the friend of Addison and, though of different political views, of Pope, and he ended his career as physician to George I., by whom he was knighted in 1714. He is remembered as the author ofThe Dispensary, a satire, which had great popularity in its day, and ofClaremont, a descriptive poem. He also ed. a translation of Ovid'sMetamorphoses, to which Addison, Pope, and others contributed. Perhaps, however, the circumstance most honourable to him is his intervention to procure an honourable burial for Dryden, over whose remains he pronounced a eulogy.
GASCOIGNE, GEORGE (1525 or 1535-1577).—Poet and dramatist,s.of Sir John G., and descended from Sir William G., the famous Chief Justice to Henry IV., he wased.at Camb., and entered Gray's Inn 1555. While there he produced two plays, both translations,The Supposes(1566) from Ariosto, andJocasta(1566) from Euripides. Disinherited on account of his prodigality, hem.in order to rehabilitate his finances, a widow, the mother ofNicholas Breton(q.v.). He had, nevertheless, to go to Holland to escape from the importunities of his creditors. While there he saw service under the Prince of Orange, and was taken prisoner by the Spaniards. Released after a few months, he returned to England, and found that some of his poems had been surreptitiouslypub.He thereupon issued an authoritative ed. under the title ofAn Hundred Sundrie Floures bound up in one Poesie(1572). Other works areNotes of Instruction, for making English verse,The Glasse of Government(1575), andThe Steele Glasse(1576), a satire. He also contributed to the entertainments in honour of Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth and appears to have had a share of Court favour. G. was a man of originality, and did much to popularise the use of blank verse in England.
GASKELL, ELIZABETH CLEGHORN (STEVENSON) (1810-1865).—Novelist,dau.of William Stevenson, a Unitarian minister, and for some time Keeper of the Treasury Records. Shem.William G., a Unitarian minister, at Manchester, and in 1848pub.anonymously her first book,Mary Barton, in which the life and feelings of the manufacturing working classes are depicted with much power and sympathy. Other novels followed,Lizzie Leigh(1855),Mr. Harrison's Confessions(1865),Ruth(1853),Cranford(1851-3),North and South(1855),Sylvia's Lovers(1863), etc. Her last work wasWives and Daughters(1865), which appeared in theCornhillMagazine, and was left unfinished. Mrs. G. had some of the characteristics of Miss Austen, and if her style and delineation of character are less minutely perfect, they are, on the other hand, imbued with a deeper vein of feeling. She was the friend ofCharlotte Bronté(q.v.), to whom her sympathy brought much comfort, and whoseLifeshe wrote. OfCranfordLord Houghton wrote, "It is the finest piece of humoristic description that has been added to British literature since Charles Lamb."
GATTY, MRS. ALFRED (MARGARET SCOTT) (1809-1873).—Dau.of Rev. A.J. Scott, D.D., a navy chaplain, who served under, and was the trusted friend of, Nelson. Shem.the Rev. Alfred Gatty, D.D., Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, and became a highly useful and popular writer of tales for young people. Among her books may be mentionedParables from Nature,Worlds not Realised,Proverbs Illustrated, andAunt Judy's Tales. She also conductedAunt Judy's Magazine, and wrote a book on British sea-weeds.Juliana Ewing(q.v.) was her daughter.
GAUDEN, JOHN (1605-1662).—Theologian,b.at Mayfield in Essex, anded.at Camb. His claim to remembrance rests on his being the reputed author ofEikon Basiliké(the Royal Image), a book purporting to be written by Charles I. during his imprisonment, and containing religious meditations and defences of his political acts.Pub.immediately after the King's execution, it produced an extraordinary effect, so much so that Charles II. is reported to have said that, had it beenpub.a week earlier, it would have saved his father's life. There seems now to be little doubt that Gauden was the author. At all events he claimed to be recompensed for his services, and was made Bishop successively of Exeter and Worcester, apparently on the strength of these claims. The work passed through 50 ed. within a year, and was answered by Milton in hisIconoclastes(the Image-breaker).
GAY, JOHN (1685-1732).—Poet and dramatist,b.near Barnstaple of a good but decayed family. His parents dying while he was a child he was apprenticed to a silk-mercer in London, but not liking the trade, was released by his master. In 1708 hepub.a poem,Wine, and in 1713Rural Sports, which he dedicated to Pope, whose friendship he obtained. A little before this he had received an appointment as sec. in the household of the Duchess of Monmouth. His next attempts were in the drama, in which he was not at first successful; but about 1714 he made his first decided hit inThe Shepherd's Week, a set of six pastorals designed to satirise Ambrose Philips, which, however, secured public approval on their own merits. These were followed byTrivia(1716), in which he was aided by Swift, an account in mock heroic verse of the dangers of the London streets, and byThe Fan. G. had always been ambitious of public employment, and his aspirations were gratified by his receiving the appointment of sec. to an embassy to Hanover, which, however, he appears to have resigned in a few months. He then returned to the drama inWhat d'ye call It, andThree Hours after Marriage, neither of which, however, took the public fancy. In 1720 hepub.a collection of his poems, which brought him £1000,but soon after lost all his means in the collapse of the South Sea Company. After producing another drama,The Captive, hepub.hisFables(1727), which added to his reputation, and soon after, in 1728, achieved the great success of his life inThe Beggar's Opera, a Newgate pastoral, suggested by Swift, in which the graces and fantasticalities of the Italian Opera were satirised. A sequel,Polly, was suppressed by the Lord Chamberlain as reflecting upon the Court, but waspub.and had an enormous sale. The last few years of his life were passed in the household of the Duke of Queensberry, who had always been his friend and patron. Hed.after three days' illness, aged 47. G. was an amiable, easy-going man, who appears to have had the power of attracting the strong attachments of his friends, among whom were Pope and Swift. He seems to have been one of the very few for whom the latter had a sincere affection. He is buried in Westminster Abbey. Of all he has written he is best remembered by one or two songs, of which the finest isBlack-eyed Susan.
GEDDES, ALEXANDER (1737-1802).—Theologian and scholar, of Roman Catholic parentage, wasb.at Ruthven, Banffshire, anded.for the priesthood at the local seminary of Scalan, and at Paris, and became a priest in his native county. His translation of theSatiresof Horace made him known as a scholar, but his liberality of view led to his suspension. He then went to London, where he became known to Lord Petre, who enabled him to proceed with a new translation of the Bible for English Roman Catholics, which he carried on as far as Ruth, with some of the Psalms, and which waspub.in 3 vols. (1792-6). This was followed byCritical Remarks on the Hebrew Scriptures, in which he largely anticipated the German school of criticism. The result of this publication was his suspension from all ecclesiastical functions. G. was also a poet, and wroteLinton: a Tweedside Pastoral,Carmen Seculare pro Gallica Gente(1790), in praise of the French Revolution. Hed.without recanting, but received absolution at the hands of a French priest, though public mass for his soul was forbidden by the ecclesiastical powers.
GEOFFREY of MONMOUTH (1100?-1154).—Chronicler, was probably a Benedictine monk, and became Bishop of St. Asaph. He wrote a LatinHistory of British Kings.Merlin's Prophecies, long attributed to him, is now held to be not genuine. The history is rather a historical romance than a sober history, and gave scandal to some of the more prosaic chroniclers who followed him. It was subsequently translated into Anglo-Norman by Gaimar and Wace, and into English by Layamon.
GERARD, ALEXANDER (1728-1795).—Philosophical writer,s.of Rev. Gilbert G., wased.at Aberdeen, where he became Prof., first of Natural Philosophy, and afterwards of Divinity, and one of the ministers of the city. As a prof. he introduced various reforms. In 1756 he gained the prize for anEssay on Tastewhich, together with anEssay on Genius, he subsequentlypub.These treatises, though now superseded, gained for him considerable reputation.
GIBBON, EDWARD (1737-1794).—Historian, wasb.at Putney of an ancient Kentish family. Hisf.was Edward G., andhis mother Judith Porten. He was the only one of a family of seven who survived infancy, and was himself a delicate child with a precocious love of study. After receiving his early education at home he was sent to Westminster School, and when 15 was entered at Magdalen Coll., Oxf., where, according to his own account, he spent 14 months idly and unprofitably. Oxf. was then at its lowest ebb, and earnest study or effort of any kind had little encouragement. G., however, appears to have maintained his wide reading in some degree, and his study of Bossuet and other controversialists led to his becoming in 1753 a Romanist. To counteract this hisf.placed him under the charge ofDavid Mallet(q.v.), the poet, deist, and ed. of Bolingbroke's works, whose influence, not unnaturally, failed of the desired effect, and G. was next sent to Lausanne, and placed under the care of a Protestant pastor, M. Pavilliard. Various circumstances appear to have made G. not unwilling to be re-converted to Protestantism; at all events he soon returned to the reformed doctrines. At Lausanne he remained for over four years, and devoted himself assiduously to study, especially of French literature and the Latin classics. At this time also he became engaged to Mademoiselle Suzanne Curchod; but on the match being peremptorily opposed by hisf.it was broken off. With the lady, who eventually became the wife of Necker, and the mother of Madame de Staël, he remained on terms of friendship. In 1758 G. returned to England, and in 1761pub.Essai sur l'Etude de la Littérature, translated into English in 1764. About this time he made a tour on the Continent, visiting Paris, where he stayed for three months, and thence proceeding to Switzerland and Italy. There it was that, musing amid the ruins of the Capitol at Rome on October 15, 1764, he formed the plan of writing the history of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He returned to England in 1765, and in 1770 hisf.d., leaving him the embarrassed estate of Buriton, which had been his usual home when in England. With a view to recovering his affairs, he left his estate and lived in London where, in 1772, he seriously set himself to realise the great plan which, since its conception, had never been out of his thoughts. The first chapter was written three times, and the second twice before he could satisfy himself that he had found the style suited to his subject. The progress of the work was delayed by the fact that G. had meanwhile (1774) entered the House of Commons, where, as member for Liskeard, he was a steady, though silent, supporter of Lord North in his American policy. He subsequently sat for Lymington, and held office as a Commissioner of Trade and Plantations 1779-82. The first vol. of theDecline and Fallappeared in 1776, and was received with acclamation, and it was not until some time had elapsed that the author's treatment of the rise of Christianity excited the attention and alarm of the religious and ecclesiastical world. When, however, the far-reaching nature of his views was at length realised, a fierce and prolonged controversy arose, into which G. himself did not enter except in one case where his fidelity as an historian was impugned. The second and third vols. appeared in 1781, and thereafter (1783) G. returned to Lausanne, where he lived tranquilly with an early friend, M. Deyverdun, devoting his mornings to the completion of his history, and his evenings to society. Atlength, on the night of June 27, 1787, in the summer-house of his garden, the last words were penned, and the great work of his life completed. Of the circumstances, and of his feelings at the moment, he has himself given an impressive account. The last three vols. were issued in 1788, G. having gone to London to see them through the press. This being done he returned to Lausanne where, within a year, his beloved friend Deyverdund.His last years were clouded by ill-health, and by anxieties with regard to the French Revolution. In 1793, though travelling was a serious matter for him, he came to England to comfort his friend Lord Sheffield on the death of his wife, took ill, andd.suddenly in London on January 16, 1794.
The place of G. among historians is in the first rank, and if the vast scale of his work and the enormous mass of detail involved in it are considered along with the learning and research employed in accumulating the material, and the breadth of view, lucidity of arrangement, and sense of proportion which have fused them into a distinct and splendid picture, his claims to the first place cannot be lightly dismissed. His style, though not pure, being tinged with Gallicisms, is one of the most noble in our literature, rich, harmonious, and stately; and though sources of information not accessible to him have added to our knowledge, and have shown some of his conclusions to be mistaken, his historical accuracy has been comparatively little shaken, and his work is sure of permanence. As a man G. seems to have been somewhat calm and cool in his feelings, though capable of steady and affectionate friendships, such as those with Deyverdun and the Sheffields, which were warmly reciprocated, and he appears to have been liked in society, where his brilliant conversational powers made him shine. He was vain, and affected the manners of the fine gentleman, which his unattractive countenance and awkward figure, and latterly his extreme corpulence, rendered somewhat ridiculous. He left an interestingAutobiography.
SUMMARY.—B.1737,ed.Westminster and Oxf., became Romanist and sent to Lausanne 1753, where he returned to Protestantism,pub.Essay on Study of Literature1761, visited Rome 1764 and resolved to write hisDecline and Fall of Roman Empire, began to write it 1772,pub.1776-87,d.1794.
Decline and Fall(Sir W. Smith, 8 vols., 1854-55), another (J.B. Bury, 7 vols., 1896-1900).Autobiography(Lord Sheffield, 1796), often reprinted.
GIFFORD, RICHARD (1725-1807).—Poet, wased.at Oxford and took orders. He was the author of a poem,Contemplation. He also wrote theological and controversial works.
GIFFORD, WILLIAM (1756-1826).—Critic and poet, wasb.of humble parentage at Ashburton, Devonshire, and after being for a short time at sea, was apprenticed to a cobbler. Having, however, shown signs of superior ability, and a desire for learning, he was befriended anded., ultimately at Oxf., where hegrad.Becoming known to Lord Grosvenor, he was patronised by him, and in course of time produced his first poem,The Baviad(1794), a satire directed against the Delia Cruscans, a clique of very small and sentimental poets, which at once quenched their little tapers. This wasfollowed by another satire,The Mæviad, against some minor dramatists. His last effort in this line was hisEpistle to Peter Pindar(Dr. Walcot), inspired by personal enmity, which evoked a reply,A Cut at a Cobbler. These writings had established the reputation of G. as a keen, and even ferocious critic, and he was appointed in 1797 ed. of theAnti-Jacobin, which Canning and his friends had just started, and of theQuarterly Review(1809-24). He also brought out ed. of Massinger, Ben Jonson, and Ford. As a critic he had acuteness; but he was one-sided, prejudiced, and savagely bitter, and much more influenced in his judgments by the political opinions than by the literary merits of his victims. In his whole career, however, he displayed independence and spirit in overcoming the disadvantages of his early life, as well as gratitude to those who had served him. He held various appointments which placed him above financial anxiety.
GILDAS (516?-570?).—British historian, was a monk who is believed to have gone to Brittany about 550, and founded a monastery. He wrote a history,De Excidio Britanniæ(concerning the overthrow of Britain). It consists of two parts, the first from the Roman invasion until the end of the 4th century, and the second a continuation to the writer's own time. It is obscure and wordy, and not of much value.
GILDER, RICHARD WATSON (1844-1909).—Poet,b.at Borderstown, New Jersey, was successively a lawyer, a soldier, and a journalist, in which last capacity he ed.Scribner's(afterwards theCentury)Magazine. He holds a high place among American poets as the author ofThe New Day(1875),The Celestial Passion,The Great Remembrance,Five Books of Song(1894),In Palestine(1898),In the Heights(1905),A Book of Music(collection) (1906), etc.
GILDON, CHARLES (1665-1724).—Critic and dramatist, belonged to a Roman Catholic family, and was an unsuccessful playwright, a literary hack, and a critic of little acumen or discrimination. He attacked Pope as "Sawny Dapper," and was in return embalmed inThe Dunciad. He also wrote a Life of Defoe.
GILFILLAN, GEORGE (1813-1878).—Poet and critic,s.of a dissenting minister at Comrie, Perthshire, studied at Glasgow Univ., and was ordained minister of a church in Dundee. He was a voluminous author. Among his writings areGallery of Literary Portraits, and a Series of British Poets with introductions and notes in 48 vols. He also wrote Lives of Burns, Scott, and others, andNight(1867), a poem in nine books. His style was somewhat turgid, and his criticism rather sympathetic than profound.
GILFILLAN, ROBERT (1798-1850).—Poet,b.at Dunfermline, was latterly Collector of Police Rates in Leith. He wrote a number of Scottish songs, and was favourably mentioned inNoctes Ambrosianæ(see Wilson, J.). He was the author of the beautiful song,Oh, why left I my Hame?
GILLESPIE, GEORGE (1613-1648).—Scottish Theologian, wasb.at Kirkcaldy, and studied at St. Andrews. He became one ofthe ministers of Edin., and was a member of the Westminster Assembly, in which he took a prominent part. A man of notable intellectual power, he exercised an influence remarkable in view of the fact that hed.in his 36th year. He was one of the most formidable controversialists of a highly controversial age. His best known work isAaron's Rod Blossoming, a defence of the ecclesiastical claims of the high Presbyterian party.
GILLIES, JOHN (1747-1836).—Historian,b.at Brechin anded.there and at Glasgow, wrote aHistory of Greece(1786) from a strongly anti-democratic standpoint, aHistory of the World from Alexander to Augustus(1807), and aView of the Reign of Frederick II. of Prussia. He also made various translations from the Greek. He succeeded Principal Robertson as Historiographer Royal for Scotland.
GIRALDUS CAMBRENSIS (literary name of GERALD DE BARRI) (1146?-1220?).—Geographer and historian, wasb.of a Norman family settled in Wales, which intermarried with the Royal family of that country. He was an eminent scholar and Churchman, whose object of ambition was the Bishopric of St. David's, to which he was twice elected by the chapter, but from which he was kept out by the opposition of the King. When travelling in Ireland with Prince John (1185) he wroteTopographia Hibernica, a valuable descriptive account of the country, and in 1188 he wroteItinerarium Cambriæ, a similar work on Wales. He left several other works, including an autobiography,De Rebus a se Gestis(concerning his own doings).
GISSING, GEORGE (1857-1903).—Novelist,b.at Wakefield. In his novels he depicted the environment and struggles of the lower and lower middle classes with a somewhat pessimistic and depressing realism, although his last work,The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft, seemed to usher in the dawn of a somewhat brighter outlook. His other novels includeDemos(1886),Thyrza(1887),The Nether World(1889),New Grub Street(1891),Born in Exile(1892),In the Year of Jubilee(1894), andThe Town Traveller(1898). Hed.at St. Jean de Luz in the Pyrenees.
GLADSTONE, WILLIAM EWART (1809-1898).—Statesman, scholar, and man of letters, fourths.of Sir John G., a merchant in Liverpool, was of Scottish ancestry. He wased.at Eton and Christ Church, Oxf. From his youth he was deeply interested in religious and ecclesiastical questions, and at one time thought of entering the Church. In 1832 he entered Parliament as a Tory, and from the first gave evidence of the splendid talents for debate and statesmanship, especially in the department of finance, which raised him to the position of power and influence which he afterwards attained. After holding the offices of Pres. of the Board of Trade, Colonial Sec., and Chancellor of the Exchequer, he attained the position of Prime Minister, which he held four times 1868-74, 1880-85, 1885-86, and 1892-93. His political career was one of intense energy and activity in every department of government, especially after he became Prime Minister, and while it gained him the enthusiasticapplause and devotion of a large portion of the nation, it exposed him to a correspondingly intense opposition on the part of another. The questions which involved him in the greatest conflicts of his life and evoked his chief efforts of intellect were the disestablishment of the Irish Church, the foreign policy of his great rival Disraeli, and Home Rule for Ireland, on the last of which the old Liberal party was finally broken up. In the midst of political labours which might have been sufficient to absorb even his tireless energy, he found time to follow out and write upon various subjects which possessed a life-long interest for him. His first book wasThe State in its Relations with the Church(1839), which formed the subject of one of Macaulay's essays.Studies on Homer and the Homeric Age(1858),Juventus Mundi(1869), andHomeric Synchronism(1876),The Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture(1890),The Vatican Decrees and Vaticanism(1874-75), andGleanings of Past Years(1897), 8 vols., were his other principal contributions to literature. G.'s scholarship, though sound and even brilliant, was of an old-fashioned kind, and his conclusions on Homeric questions have not received much support from contemporary scholars. In his controversies with Huxley and others his want of scientific knowledge and of sympathy with modern scientific tendencies placed him at a disadvantage. His character was a singularly complex one, and his intellect possessed a plasticity which made it possible to say of him that he neverwasanything, but was alwaysbecomingsomething. His life was a singularly noble and stainless one, and he must probably ever remain one of the great figures in the history of his country.
Lifeby J. Morley (3 vols.), others by J. M'Carthy, Sir Wemyss Reid, and many others.
GLANVILL, JOSEPH (1636-1680).—Controversialist and moral writer,b.at Plymouth, anded.at Oxf., took orders, and held various benefices, including the Rectory of Bath Abbey and a prebend at Worcester. He came under the influence of the Camb. Platonists, especially ofHenry More(q.v.). His contendings were chiefly with the English Nonconformists, against whom (with the exception of Baxter whom he held in great esteem) he exhibited great bitterness. His chief work is theVanity of Dogmatizing(1661) which contains the story of "The Scholar Gipsy," in later days turned to such fine account by Matthew Arnold. G. wrote a fine literary style, at its best recalling that of Sir Thomas Browne.
GLAPTHORNE, HENRY (fl.1640).—Dramatist, had a high reputation among his contemporaries, though now almost forgotten. He wrote two comedies, three tragedies, and a book of poems, which were all reprinted in two vols. in 1874. His best work, isArgalus and Parthenia(1639), based upon Sidney'sArcadia. Others wereThe Hollander,Wit is a Constable, andThe Ladies' Privilege(all 1640).
GLASCOCK, WILLIAM NUGENT (1787-1847).—Novelist. He saw a good deal of service in the navy with credit, and from this drew the inspiration of his vigorous and breezy sea-stories, which includeSailors and Saints(1829),Tales of a Tar(1836), andLand Sharks and Sea Gulls(1838).
GLEIG, GEORGE ROBERT (1796-1888).—S.of George G., Bishop of Brechin, entered the army, and served in the Peninsula and America. In 1820 he took orders, and after serving various curesbec., in 1834, Chaplain of Chelsea Hospital, and in 1844 Chaplain-General of the Forces, which office he held until 1875. He was a frequent contributor to reviews and magazines, especiallyBlackwood's, in which his best known novel,The Subaltern, appeared, and he was also the author of Lives of Warren Hastings, Clive, and Wellington,Military Commanders,Chelsea Pensioners, and other works.
GLEN, WILLIAM (1789-1826).—Poet,b.in Glasgow, was for some years in the West Indies. Hed.in poverty. He wrote several poems, but the only one which has survived is his Jacobite ballad,Wae's me for Prince Charlie.
GLOVER, RICHARD (1712-1785).—Poet and dramatist, was a London merchant, and M.P. for Weymouth. A scholarly man with a taste for literature, he wrote two poems in blank verse,Leonidas(1737), andThe Athenaid(1787). Though not without a degree of dignity, they want energy and interest, and are now forgotten. He also produced a few dramas, which had little success. He is best remembered by his beautiful ballad,Hosier's Ghost, beginning "As near Portobello lying." G. had the reputation of a useful and public-spirited citizen.
GODWIN, MRS. MARY (WOLLSTONECRAFT) (1759-1797).—Miscellaneous writer, was of Irish extraction. Herf.was a spend-thrift of bad habits, and at 19 Mary left home to make her way in the world. Her next ten years were spent as companion to a lady, in teaching a school at Newington Green, and as governess in the family of Lord Kingsborough. In 1784 she assisted her sister to escape from a husband who ill-treated her. In 1788 she took to translating, and became literary adviser to Johnson the publisher, through whom she became known to many of the literary people of the day, as well as to certain Radicals, including Godwin, Paine, Priestly, and Fuseli, the painter. She then, 1792, went to Paris, where she met Captain Imlay, with whom she formed a connection, the fruit of which was her daughter Fanny. Captain Imlay having deserted her, she tried to commit suicide at Putney Bridge, but was rescued. Thereafter she resumed her literary labours, and lived with W. Godwin, who married her in 1797. Theirdau., Mary, whose birth she did not survive, became the second wife of Shelley. Her chief original writings are aReplyto Burke'sReflections on the French Revolution(1791),Vindication of the Rights of Women(1792), andOriginal Stories for Children, illustrated by W. Blake. HerVindicationreceived much adverse criticism on account of its extreme positions and over-plainness of speech.
GODWIN, WILLIAM (1756-1836).—Philosopher and novelist,b.at Wisbeach, anded.at a school in Norwich, to which city hisf., a Presbyterian minister, had removed, and subsequently at a Presbyterian coll. at Hoxton, with a view to the ministry.From 1778 to 1783 he acted as minister of various congregations near London; but his theological views having undergone important changes, he resigned his pastorate, and devoted himself to a literary career. His first work, a series of historical sketches in the form of sermons, failed. He then found employment as one of the principal writers in theNew Annual Register, and became otherwise prominent as an advocate of political and social reform. Many of his views were peculiar and extreme, and even tended, if fully carried out in practice, to subvert morality; but they were propounded and supported by their author with a whole-hearted belief in their efficacy for the regeneration of society: and the singular circumstances of his connection with and ultimate marriage to Mary Wollstonecraft showed at least that he had the courage of his opinions. HisEnquiry concerning Political Justice(1793) made him famous. A year later hepub.his masterpiece,Caleb Williams, a novel exhibiting a sombre strength rarely equalled. The next few years were occupied in political controversy, for which G. was, by his sincerity and his masculine style, well fitted; and it was in the midst of these—in 1797—that his first marriage, already alluded to, and the death of his wife, of whom hepub.a singular but interesting Life, occurred. In 1799 his second great novel,St. Leon, based upon the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life, appeared. His other novels,Fleetwood(1804),Mandeville(1817), andCloudesley(1830), are much inferior. In addition to these works G. brought out an elaborateLife of Chaucerin 2 vols. (1803),An Essay on Sepulchres(1808), containing much fine thought finely expressed,A History of the Commonwealth, an Essay against the theories ofMalthus(q.v.), and his last work,Lives of the Necromancers. For some time he engaged in the publishing business, in which, however, he ultimately proved unsuccessful. In his later years he had the office of Yeoman Usher of the Exchequer conferred upon him. G. entered in 1801 into a second marriage with a widow, Mrs. Clairmont, by whom he had adau.This lady had already as.anddau., the latter of whom had an irregular connection with Byron. Hisdau.by his first marriage—Mary Wollstonecraft G.,—became in 1816 the wife of Shelley. G. was a man of simple manners and imperturbable temper.