BOG 



Hiftory ends, to 1202. This work, which is one of the 

 mod voluminous of our ancient hiftories, is more valuable 

 for the fincerity with which it is written, and the great 

 variety of facts which it contains, than for the neatnefs 

 of its ftyle, or the regularity of its arrangement. 



ROGERS, John, an Englifh divine, was educated at 

 Cambridge, and became chaplain to the factory at An- 

 twerp, where he aflifted Tindal and Coverdale in tranflating 

 the Bible into Englifii. In the- reign of Edward VI. he 

 returned to England, and obtained a prebend in St. Paul's 

 cathedral, where he was a frequent and zealous preacher. 

 He was the nrft perfon executed in the reign of the bloody 

 Mary, being burnt in Smithfield in 1555. In the former 

 reign he had been, at lead, an abettor of the fame fort of 

 perfecution of which he liiinfelf became the victim. This 

 fact deferves to-be recorded. When the Proteftaiit bifhops 

 had determined to burn Joan of Kent, a friend of Rogers, 

 the divinity reader in St. Paul's church, came to him, 

 earneitly defiring him to ufe his interell with the archbifhop, 

 that the poor woman's life might be fpared, and other 

 means ufed to prevent the fpreading of her opinions, which 

 might be done in time ; urging, though that while fhe 

 lived (he infected few with her opinion, yet (he might bring 

 many to think well of it by fuffering death for it ; he 

 pleaded, therefore, that it was better (he mould be kept in 

 fome prifon, without an opportunity of propagating her 

 notions among weak people ; and fo fhe would do no harm 

 to others, and might live to repent herfelf. Rogers on the 

 other hand pleaded, fhe ought to be put to death. Well 

 then, fays his friend, if you are refolved to put an end to 

 her life, together with her opinions, choofe fome other kind 

 of death more agreeable to the gentlenefs and mercy pre- 

 fcribed in the Gofpel, there being no need that fuch tor- 

 menting deaths fhould be taken up in imitation of the 

 Papifts. Rogers anfwered, that burning alive was no cruel 

 death, but eafy enough. His friend, then hearing thefe 

 words, which exprefled fo little regard to th'- poor crea-^ 

 ture's fufferings, anfwered him with great vehemence, 

 and linking Rogers's hand, which he before held fail, 

 faid to him, " Well, it may perhaps fo happen, that 

 you yourfelves mall have your hands full of that mild 

 burning." And fo it came to pafs. Mr. Pierce, who 

 has recorded this anecdote, conjectures with great pro- 

 bability, that the friend of Rogers was the hiilorian 

 himfelf. 



Rogers, captain Wood, a famous Englifh navigator in 

 the early part of the eighteenth century, of whofe private 

 hiftory little is known, failed in the Duke, a private fhip 

 of war, of 30 guns and 170 men, in company with the 

 Duchefs, a fmaller veflel, commanded by captain Stephen 

 Courtney, on an expedition into the South feas againft the 

 Spaniards. Thefe (hips were fitted out by a company of 

 merchants at Briftol, and they fet fail on the iftof Augult, 

 1708. On board one of them as pilot was the afterwards 

 celebrated captain Dampier, (fee his article.) In paffing 

 the ftraits of Magellan, they not only captured feveral 

 mips, but likewife took feveral towns upon the coaft, and 

 on the 22d of December 1709, they met with the famous 

 Acapulco fhip, which was the lefler of two fhips, which 

 at that period failed annually from the Eaft Indies to 

 Mexico. She carried 20 guns, and would not furrender 

 until fhe was overcome : an action began and lafted about 

 half an hour, when the Spaniard hauled down her colours ; 

 and (he was found to be a moft valuable prize, worth 

 2,000,000 pieces of eight. After this they met with the 

 larger Acapulco (hdp, but having ikirmifhed two days, they 

 found it impoffible to capture her. They therefore deter- 



R O G 



mined to return by the Eaft Indies, and arrived in the 

 Downs after having circumnavigated the globe, on the 

 2d of October, 171 1. This voyage, which was abun- 

 dantly fuccefsful, led to the foundation of the South Sea 

 Company; which fee. In 1718, captain Rogers having 

 been appointed governor of the Bahama Mauds, proved him- 

 felf well adapted to the lituation, by the vigorous meafures 

 which he adopted againft the pirates, who had become molt 

 inimical to the trading interelts of the country. He arrived 

 at Providence, after a (hort and ealy paflage, on the 1 ith of 

 April, took pofleflion of the town of NafTau, and the 

 whole ifland, much to the fatisfaction of the inhabitants, 

 and many of the pirates, who had fettled themfelves there, 

 fubmitted at once to his authority. He proceeded foon 

 after in forming a council, and fettling the government of 

 thole iflands, appointing civil and military officers, raifing 

 militia, and taking every other ftep neceflary for procuring 

 fafety at home, and lecurity from any thing that might be 

 attempted from abroad, in which by degrees he completely 

 lucceeded. Some of the pirates at liift rejected the terms, 

 and continued to do a good deal of mifchief on the coaft of 

 Carolina ; but when they faw that captain Rogers had 

 thoroughly fettled himfelf at Providence, and was not to 

 be trifled with, and that the inhabitants of the Bahamas 

 found it to be to their intereft to be honeft, they thought 

 proper to folicit mercy ; fo that by the ift of July, 1719, 

 to which day the king's proclamation had been extended, 

 there were not above three or four veffels of thofe pirates 

 which continued to trade, two of thefe being captured, and 

 their crews executed, the reft difperfed. " Thus," fays 

 the judicious Campbell, " in a fhort time, and chiefly 

 through the fteady and prudent conduct of governor Rogers, 

 this herd of villains was in iome meafure diflolved, who for 

 many years had frighted the Weft Indies and the northern 

 colonies, coming at lalt to be fo ftrong that few merchant- 

 men were fafe, and withal fo cruel, that flavery among the 

 Turks was preferable to falling into their hands." See 

 Campbell's Lives of the Admirals, Stockdale's edition, 

 vols. iii. and iv. 



Rogers, Benjamin, doctor of muiic, an ecclelialtical 

 compofer, whole works are Hill contained in our cathedral 

 fervice, and for whofe fame Anthony Wood has manifeited 

 great zeal. This mulician was born at Windfor, and 

 brought up in that college under Dr. Nath. Giles ; being 

 employed there, rirft as a tinging boy, and afterwards in the 

 capacity of lay clerk or tinging man. Thence he went to 

 Ireland, and was appointed organiil of Chrift-church in 

 Dublin, where he continued till the breaking out of the 

 rebellion, in 1641 ; at which time, being forced to quit his 

 Itation, he returned to Windfor, where he was again re- 

 inftated as choirman ; but being foon after filenced in con- 

 fequence of the civil wars, he procured a fubtiftence by 

 teaching in the neighbourhood. And during this time, ac- 

 cording to his friend Ant. Wood, having addicted himfelf 

 much to ftudy, he acquired great credit as a compoler, and 

 produced feveral fets of airs in four parts for violins and 

 an organ, which being then imagined the bed that could be 

 compofed of that kind, were fent as great rarities to the 

 archduke Leopold, afterwards emperor, and himfelf a 

 great mufician ; and, upon their being performed by his 

 band, they were very much admired. 



In 1658, by the favour of his friend Dr. Ingelo, he ob- 

 tained the degree 01 bachelor in mufic at Cambridge, ainl 

 acquired great reputation in that univrrlity by his exercife. 

 Soon after, on Dr. Ingelo going chaplain to Bulltrode 

 lord Whitelock, into Sweden, he carried with him fome 

 of Ben. Rogers's beft competitions, which, upon being re- 

 peatedly 



