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WITHERINQTON, WILLIAM FREDERICK, R.A. 



WITIKIND. 



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in 1774. Here ho became the successor to Dr. Small, and 

 quickly succeeded in obtaining a large and lucrative practice. His 

 income is said to have been larger than any physician of his day^out 

 of London. In the midst however of his great professional avocations 

 he found time to cultivate with great ardour the sciences connected 

 with natural history. He was exceedingly attached to botany, and 

 having become acquainted with a large number of the plants growing 

 in Great Britain, he was induced to publish, in 1776, a work on the 

 plantn of this island. It appeared first at Birmingham, in 2 vols. 8vo, 

 and was entitled 'A Botanical Arrangement of all the Vegetables 

 naturally growing in Great Britain.' As this work appeared at first it 

 was little more than a translation of the descriptions of the British 

 genera and species from the great work of Linnaeus, with the addition 

 of many of the habitats of the plants from Ray's works. The work 

 however was wanted, and quickly found a sale. A second edition was 

 published in 1798, and a third in 1796. In this edition the work was 

 increased in size to four volumes, and a vast amount of original 

 matter added, so as to give it quite a different character from the first 

 edition. In this work he was much assisted by many of his botanical 

 friends, and he has everywhere acknowledged how much he was 

 indebted to Dr. Stokes and Messrs. Woodward, Velley, Stackhouse, 

 and others. Since the death of Dr. Withering several editions of his 

 ' Arrangement of British Plants ' have been published. It is now 

 however entirely superseded by the more valuable manuals of Smith, 

 Hooker, Lindley, Babington, &c. It had the merit of being the first 

 British Flora arranged according to the Linnsean system; and the 

 early editions may now be consulted with advantage on the properties 

 and uses of the plants native to Great Britain, and the traditions 

 about them. 



Botany was not Withering's only scientific pursuit ; he was fond of 

 chemistry and mineralogy. He published in 1793 a translation of 

 Bergmann's ' Sciagraphia Regni Mineralis,' with the title ' Outlines of 

 Mineralogy.' He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, and published 

 several papers on mineralogy and chemistry in the ' Philosophical 

 Transactions,' of which the following are the titles : In the volume 

 for 1773, ' Experiments on different kinds of Marie found in Stafford- 

 shire;' in 1782, 'Analysis of the Toadstone of Derbyshire;' in 1784, 

 ' Experiments on the Terra Ponderosa ; ' in 1798, ' An Analysis of a 

 Hot Mineral-Spring in Portugal.' These papers display a very com- 

 petent knowledge of the chemistry of the time. But whilst pursuing 

 science he did not neglect his profession, and he published several 

 papers on medical topics. In 1778 he published 'An Account of 

 Scarlet Fever and Sore Throat, especially as it appeared at Birmingham 

 in the year 1778,' 8vo. He also published in 1785 'An Account of 

 the Foxglove and some of its medical uses ; with practical remarks on 

 the Dropsy and other diseases/ Although he was not the first to 

 recommend foxglove (digitalis) as a medicine, he must still be looked 

 upon as the first physician who knew how to use it, and by his writings 

 gave it the character as a powerful medicinal agent, which it has never 

 since ceased to retain. 



Dr. Withering was always the subject of a weak state of health, and 

 was frequently attacked with inflammation of the lungs. This had so 

 much weakened him in 1793 as to induce him to try a change of air 

 for the benefit of his health, and he accordingly spent the winter of 

 that year in Lisbon. At the latter end of the year 1794 he again went 

 to Lisbon, and returned the following year. His health was somewhat 

 re-established, and on returning to Birmingham again he changed his 

 residence from Edgbaston Hall to a place called the Larches, previously 

 the residence of Dr. Priestley. Here in retirement he spent the 

 remainder of his days, and died in November 1799. 



* WITHERINGTON, WILLIAM FREDERICK, R.A., was born in 

 London, in 1786. As a landscape-painter Mr. Witherington has 

 secured a very respectable position, and he has also painted many 

 clever genre pictures and portraits. His landscapes are all thoroughly 

 English in character, Lane Scenes, Kentish Hop Gardens, Riverside 

 Ferries, Water Mills, and the like, and his knowledge of the human 

 form has enabled him to diversify them with groups of figures a 

 little larger in size than are usually put in landscape foregrounds 

 engaged in some characteristic occupation, or indicating some rustic 

 incident, from which his pictures generally derive their titles (' The 

 Angler,' ' The Lucky Escape,' ' Making Hay,' ' The Robin,' ' The Hop 

 Garland,' 'Passing the Lock,' 'A Lift on the Road,' 'Returning from 

 the Village/ and so forth), and which have served to increase their 

 popularity with the ordinary visitors to the exhibition-rooms and picture 

 galleries. Mr. Witheringtou does not take rank with the highest class 

 of English landscape-painters, but his genuine love of nature, and 

 directness of purpose, and the homely unpretending range of his 

 subjects, will always render his pictures favourites with the lovers of 

 English rural scenery and country life. He was elected A.R.A. in 

 1830; and R.A. in 1840. In the Vernon Collection there are two 

 pictures by him ' The Stepping Stones,' and ' The Hop Garland ;' and 

 in the Sheepshanks' Collection one ' The Hop Garden.' 



WITHOF, JOHANN PHILIPP LORENZ, a German physician who 

 distinguished himself as a writer of didactic poetry, was tho son of 

 Johann Hildebrand Withof, professor of history, eloquence, and Greek 

 literature, and was born at Duisburg on the Rhine, June 1st, 1725. 

 In 1740 he entered the university of his native place, where for the 

 first three years, he applied himself to classical literature, history, and 



antiquities, and afterwards entirely to medicine. His father then sent 

 him to Utrecht aud Leyden, on returning from which seats of study 

 he obtained his medical diploma at Duisburg, in 1747, and began to 

 practise at Lingen, but did not remain there above three years. After 

 an interim of about two years more, at Duisburg again, during which 

 he lectured on anatomy and physiology, he accepted, in 1752, an 

 appointment in the gymnasium at Hamm, as professor of history and 

 philosophy. About the same time he was made corresponding mem- 

 ber of the Gottingen Scientific Society, and also of the- Royal Society, 

 London. He continued at Hamm until he received an offer from the 

 university of his native place, in 1770, inviting him to accept the pro- 

 fessorship of eloquence and Greek literature, which he held at the 

 time of his death, July 3, 1789. 



Though most of his poems had been composed very long before, 

 being in fact the productions of his youth, and some few of them had 

 actually appeared in print, it was not till 1782 that he gave them to 

 the public, in two volumes, under the title of ' Academische Gedichte,' 

 one, as Eschenburg observes, not particularly well chosen, since it 

 does not convey any idea of their subjects, but would rather imply 

 their being only occasional pieces, or else written for academical 

 purposes. ' Philosophical ' would have been a far more appropriate 

 general epithet for them than 'Academical,' since it is; the philoso- 

 phical spirit, the depth of thought, and extensive learning they display, 

 which have established for them the high though limited reputation 

 they possess. Withof is a writer for thinkers, and not for mere 

 readers of poetry ; since, instead of alluring the latter to his didactic 

 strains by ,the graces of language and felicity of ? expression, he 

 is generally negligent even to harshness in his versification, and at 

 times very obscure as to meaning, faults which he appears in some 

 degree to have affected rather than to have endeavoured to shun. 

 Still those who can overlook imperfections of that kind, and who 

 attach more importance to the value of the matter than to any charm 

 of manner, will be repaid by his ' Die Moralischen Ketzer,' and ' Sinn- 

 liche Ergotzungen,' for the studious perusal which they require. 



WITIKIND, WITTERING, or WITTICHIND, was the principal 

 duke or commander-in-chief of the Saxons in their wars with Charle- 

 magne. He is also called king (Rex Saxonum et Alborum), but in- 

 correctly, because the Saxons have never had kings : the government 

 was in the hands of an assembly, which met annually at Macklo, on 

 the Weser, and to which each 'gau/ or county, sent twelve edelings or 

 nobles, twelve freemen being freeholders, and twelve freemen having 

 lands in lease. The Saxons inhabited the extensive tract between 

 Friesland, the Northern Sea, and the Eider, in the north ; the Baltic, 

 the Trave and the Middle Elbe, in the east ; the Saale, Thuringia, and 

 Hesse, in the south ; and a line in the west which corresponded pro- 

 bably to the present limits of the Prussian province of Westphalia. 

 The western limits however were never well fixed. The Saxons were 

 divided into Westphalians west of the Weser ; Engerns, who lived 

 likewise west of the Weser, in the mountainous province of Sauerland; 

 Eastphalians, between the Weser and Elbe ; and Albi, or North 

 Albingians, in the present duchy of Holstein. They were a fierce and 

 warlike nation, and made continual incursions into the Prankish 

 empire by land and by sea. Faithful to the worship of Woden and 

 other gods of their forefathers, they made a strong opposition to the 

 progress of Christianity, which was in their opinion only a disguised 

 form of slavery. When Lebuin, the Anglo-Saxon, appeared among 

 them for the purpose of preaching the Gospel, they not only refused 

 to listen to him, but threatened his life ; and he only escaped death 

 by the mediation of his friend Buto, a Saxon noble. 



By choosing Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) for his residence, Charle- 

 magne clearly indicated that, being sure of the obedience of t.he west, 

 he intended to extend his empire towards the east. He declared his 

 intention to subdue the Saxons, and to force them to adopt the Chris- 

 tian religion, in the diet at Worms in the first year of his reign, 772. 

 His first campaign was successful. He penetrated into the country of 

 the Engerns, took their fortress of Eresburg (now Stadtberg, on the 

 Diemel) by surprise, and destroyed the ' Irmensul/ a national monu- 

 ment. Great wealth was found there by the Franks. In the neigh- 

 bourhood of this monument Charlemagne made a truce with the 

 Saxons, and returned to his dominions in order to prepare his ex- 

 pedition against Desiderius, king of the Longobards. During the 

 absence of Charlemagne in Italy the Saxons prepared for a fresh war, 

 and chose two commanders-in-chief, Witikind and Albion. Witikiud 

 had extensive estates in Engern and Westphalia, and it appears that 

 he was ' duke ' of the warriors of these two countries ; while Albion 

 commanded the Eastphaliaus and North Albiugians. Witikind im- 

 mediately invaded the Prankish territory ; but in 775 Charles ap- 

 proached with a mighty host, and penetrated as far as the Ocker, in 

 the present duchy of Brunswick. After several defeats the Eastphalians, 

 under duke Hessi, or Hassio, and the Engerns, whose duke was then 

 Bruno, made peace and gave hostages to Charles. Bruno and Hessi 

 were probably subordinate dukes. The Westphalians followed their 

 example, but it does not appear that Witikind submitted. The truce 

 was of short duration; but Charles made new progress, and built 

 fortresses, in which he placed strong garrisons. In 777 he held a 

 meeting at Paderborn, which was attended by a great number of 

 Saxon nobles and commoners, part of whom were baptised and sub- 

 mitted to the Franks. 



