S P E 



and Mr. Blacklock, the blind poet. Several of his de- 

 tached and mifccllaneous compoiitions were inferted in the 

 « Mufxum," and in Dodfley's " Fugitive Pieces." He 

 had colleaed feme MS. volumes of anecdotes of eminent 

 writers, communicated by Pope and others, which are ftill 

 in the polieffion of the duke of Newcaftle's family, and 

 from which Dr. Johnfon was permitted to make extrafts 

 for his hvcs of the poets. Gen. Biog. 



SPENCER, John, a learned divine of the church of 

 England, was born in 1630, at Boaon-under-Bleane, in 

 Kent. His father dying while he was an infant, the care 

 of educating him was undertaken by an uncle, who fent 

 him to the free-fchool of Canterbury. His proficiency in 

 learning procured for him a recommendation to a fchoiarfhip 

 in Caius college, Cambridge, where he was admitted in 

 1 645. Pafling through the ufual gradations in that uni- 

 verfity, he was chofen fellow of his college in 1655, and 

 took orders : of courfe he muft have complied with the 

 requifitions of the ruling powers at that time. He became 

 diftinguifhed for his pulpit compofitions, and was appointed 

 univerfity preacher, in which capacity he took an oppor- 

 tunity of hailing the event of the Reltoration by a thanf- 

 giving fermon, which was printed under the title of itie 

 " Righteous Ruler," which, in reference to the profligate 

 character of the reitored fovereign, mull have been regarded 

 as extremely appropriate ! Some enthufiafts having, in a 

 periodical paper entitled " Annus Mirabilis," brought to 

 notice a number of pretended prodigies, as portending 

 future changes in the llate, Spencer conceiving it to be of 

 dangerous confequence thus to unfettle the minds of the 

 people, pubUfhed in 1663, " A Difcourfe concerning Pro- 

 digies," wherein a variety of prefages by them is repre- 

 hended, and their true and proper ule is aiierted and vindi- 

 cated. A (hort extract from the preface will fhew the 

 nature of the work : " We have," fays he, " of late been 

 perfuaded by three or four feveral impreffions of books, that 

 England is grown Africa, and prefents us every year, fince 

 the return of his majefty, with a new fcene of monilrous 

 and ftrange fights ; and all held forth to the people, like 

 black clouds behind a Itorm, the harbingers of fome llrange 

 and unuf6arplagues approaching to the ftate ; and this by 

 perfons pretending an intimacy with fcripture, and the 

 fathers, Greek and Latin, ancient and modern writers." 

 The work difplayed a freedom from creduhty and fuper- 

 ftition very laudable at that time. To a fecond edition, in 

 1665, was added " A Difcourfe concerning vulgar Pro- 

 phecies ;" in which the vanity of receiving them as the cer- 

 tain indications of any future event is difcovered, and fome 

 charafters of diftinftion between true and pretended pro- 

 phets are laid down. This attempt to bring down the public 

 to reafon and fobriety was not Icfs timely than the former, 

 and might have been ufefuUy renewed in many other in- 

 ftances and at much later periods. The author in the fame 

 year proceeded doftor in divinity. He was, in 1667, pre- 

 fented to a living by his college, and in a very (liort 

 time after was elefted to the mailerfliip of that lociety, 

 an office which he held with high reputation during 

 twenty-fix years. Several preferments were bellowed upon 

 him, of which the lail and molt confiderable was the deanery 

 of Ely in 1667. He had p'cvioully been chofen vice-chan- 

 cellor of the univerfity of Cambridge, and in that quality 

 he made a fpeech to the duke of Monmouth, when he was 

 jnftalled chancellor, which was printed by Hearne, in his 

 work entitled « Vindicias Thorn, Caii." It was particularly 

 as a mailer of Hebrew literature and antiquities he is known 

 in the learned world. His firft work was written in the 

 tatin language, a diflertation " De Urim et Thummim," 



6 



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which was publifhed in the year 1678. This was a fore- 

 runner of his great work, " De Legibus Hebraeorum Ritu. 

 alibus, et earum Raiionibus, Libri Tres," 2 vols. fol. 

 1685 ; a performance confidered fo valuable and important, 

 that It was reprinted at the Hague in 1686, and at Leipfic 

 in 1705. The grand objecl of this work is to prove, in 

 detail, that the rites and ceremonies of the Jewith religion 

 were inftituted in direft oppofition to the praftices of the 

 furrounding idolatrous nations, and in order to eltabhlh the 

 ftrongeft dillinftion between the Jews and them. The fame 

 hypothelis has been maintained by feveral learned men, and 

 has been oppofed by others, without aftedling on either fide 

 the authority of that rehgion. Spencer's work is ilill con- 

 fidered as the moll complete and judicious treatife in that 

 view of the quellion. The author died at the age of fixty- 

 three, and he was interred with great folemnity in the chapel 

 of his college, to which fociety he was a liberal benefaftor. 

 He left behind him many MS. additions to his great work; 

 which were entrufted to the care of bifhop Tennifon, by 

 whom they were bequeathed to the univerfity of Cam- 

 bridge, and were eventually publifhed in four books, under 

 the care of profellor Capellow, in two vols, folio. Biog. 

 Brit. 



Spencer, in Geography, a townlhip of America, in Wor- 

 celter county, Mafiachufetts, taken from Leicefter, and in- 

 corporated in 1733, containing 14.53 inhabitants; 11 miles 

 S.W. of Worccfter. 



Spencer, a large poft-townfhip of New York, the capi^ 

 tal of Tioga county, is fituated near the centre of that 

 county, JO miles S.E. of Bath ; bounded N. by Cayuta 

 and Danby, E. by Candor, S. by Ofwego, and W. by 

 Chemung. Spencer was divided in 181 1 ; and Cayuta, 

 Danby, Caroline, and Candor, erefted into feparate towns 

 from the N. and E. parts. The popialation of Spencer in 

 18 to was 3128. It is well fupplied with fmall creeks and 

 mill-ftreams. The Catetant winds acrofs the northern part 

 with numerous branches ; the Cayuta forms the weftern 

 boundary ; and fome fmaller dreams fpread over the central 

 part. The foil is of various qualities, and the furface has 

 a confiderable hilly afpeft, covered with a great variety 

 of forell-trees. The feat of juilice for the county has 

 been lately removed from Elmira to this townfhip, and the 

 county buildings are within Drake's fettlemcnt, as it is 

 called, fituated on the Catetant creek ; where is a fmall vil- 

 lage, denominated Spencer; and as its filuation is pleafant 

 and healthy, and it is the centre of county bufinefs, it pro- 

 mifes to become a flourifhing county village. 



SPENSER, Edmund, in B'wgmphy, one of the moft 

 diftinguifhed Enghfh poets, was born in London about the 

 year 1553. His parents were in humble hfe, though in his 

 works he claims kindred with the noble family of the Spenfers 

 of Northamptonfliire. Of his early education nothing is 

 known, but it appears that he was, in 1569, a fizer in Pem- 

 broke college, Cambridge. He, in proper time, took his de- 

 grees, and in 1576 he was candidate for a fellowfhip, but was 

 not fuccefsful. This difappointment was probably the caufe 

 of his quitting the univerfity, which he left for a refide;ice 

 among his relations in the north of England. Here, it 

 appears, he fell in love, and the objeft of his affection, 

 whom he has commemorated under the name of Rofalindo, 

 after leading him through the ufual viciflit udes of a love adven- 

 ture, finally deferted him. This circumftance is faid toh.ive 

 given him a turn to paftoral poetry, fince his " Shepherd's 

 Complaint," which is devoted to amorous complaining, was 

 his firft publication. It was publilhed in 1579, and dedi- 

 cated, under the fignature of Immerito, to Mr. afterwards 

 fir Philip Sidney. He was introduced to the acquaintance 



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