28 OUTLINE OF FOTHERGILL'S LIFE CHAP. 



a good many of his improved renderings, however, he 

 anticipated the Revisers ; and he even mixed his tenses 

 in a literal following of the Greek text as they have done. 

 In the Gospel of John he translated " Son of Man " by 

 " The Man." But Purver's lack of literary training 

 rendered his style uncouth ; so that his sentences ran 

 uneasily, with little euphony or poetic rhythm. It was, 

 however, a courageous and laborious attempt to frame 

 a truer version in the language of the day, and it may 

 have suggested many renderings to later translators. 

 The work was well printed in two large folio volumes in 

 1764. Fothergill exerted himself to circulate it, giving 

 copies to many of his friends on both sides of the Atlantic. 1 



Another work issued under Fothergill's auspices, and 

 with a Preface from his hand, consisted of some letters on 

 Electricity by an ingenious printer of Philadelphia, after- 

 wards famous as Dr. Benjamin Franklin. This was in 

 1751, and it led to a friendship with Franklin, who when 

 he came to London in 1757 was advised to obtain Fother- 

 gill's counsel in his negotiations with the Proprietaries 

 of Pennsylvania. Franklin remained in London, except- 

 ing for an interval of two years, until 1775, and, as will 

 be more fully related, was on intimate terms with his 

 Quaker physician. 



Fothergill was a Whig of decided opinions, and 

 favoured the cause of freedom, having close ties and 

 sympathies with the American colonists. During the 

 last fifteen years of the Quaker domination in Pennsyl- 

 vania, which came to an end in 1756, Fothergill had an 

 important part as one of the leaders in the home church, 

 being also in frequent touch with the government. He 

 was able to look at the cause of the growing provinces as 

 a whole with an understanding eye, and he saw that the 



1 " A New and Literal Translation of the Old and New Testaments, with 

 Notes, Critical and Explanatory. By Anthony Purver, London, 1764." 

 Purver was born in 1702, married Rachel Cotterell of Frenchay in 1738, and 

 died in 1777. He addressed " A poem to the Praise of God," to his wife ; it 

 was printed in 1748 ; as well as " Counsel to Friends' Children " in rhyme. 

 See Did. Nat. Biog. ; Friends' Magazine, 1831, ii. 49 ; Tuke, p. 41. Also MS. 

 Accounts of A. Purver, in a Letter from Jacob Bell, 1796, Account [by J. Gurney 

 Bevan], and in Biog. Mem. by E. Backhouse, iv. 469 : all at Frds. Ref. Lib. 



