WOOD. 



le<3ge, he very highly appreciated. The good opinion of 

 fuch a judge of merit, in the department of natural hiftory, 

 which now engaged his attention, muft have encouraged his 

 afBduity and perfeverance. He was thus qualified for con- 

 tributing feveral valuable articles to this Cyclopaedia, in the 

 reputation and fuccefs of which the editor is happy to fay 

 he felt and expreffed a peculiar interett. His contributions 

 comprehended the botanical articles that occur, with fome 

 few exceptions, from the beginning of the letter B to the 

 end of C ; and the editor, who moll fincerely lamented his 

 death as a pupil and a friend, as well as a coadjutor in this 

 work, would have found it difficult to fupply the lofs, if the 

 kindnefs and condefcenfion of the Linnsus of our time, for 

 fo, it is tioped, wc may be allowed to denominate him with- 

 out offending his delicacy, had not relieved his anxiety, and 

 amply compenfated the injury which the botanical depart- 

 ment of the Cyclopedia muft have fuftained. 



Mr. Wood had attained, by his talents and cultivation of 

 them, to fo high a rank among his brethren in that part of 

 the country where his lot was caft, that few public fervices 

 occurred in which he was not expefted to be aftive and con- 

 fpicuous. Attached to liberty, civil and rehgious, from his 

 youth, he had in his maturer years thoroughly acquainted 

 himfelf with the genuine principles of the Britilh conftitu- 

 tion ; and accordingly he took occafion on the centenary of 

 the Revolution, in 1788, to exprefs his conviftion and feel- 

 ings in two fermons, which were afterwards pubhfhed. In 

 the three following years he took an aftive part in the ap- 

 plication of the difTcnters to parUament for the repeal of 

 the teft and corporation afts. In 1794 he preached a fune- 

 ral fermon, on occafion of the death of the Rev. W. Turner, 

 of Wakefield ; and in the following year he performed the 

 fame fervice in confequence of the deceafe of the Rev. Mr. 

 Ralph, of Halifax : the fermons which he delivered in both 

 cafes were publifhed. The Ihort account of Leeds which was 

 this year communicated to Dr. Aikin for his Hiftory of Man- 

 cheft:er deferves to be noticed, as he took great pains in exaAly 

 afcertaining the number of its inhabitants. About this time 

 he commenced a courfe of education, addrefTed to young 

 females, with a view partly to his own emolument, but prin- 

 cipally for the benefit of thofe who were difpofed to avail 

 themfelves of his inftruftion ; and indeed few perfons could 

 be found capable of condufting fuch a courfe with greater 

 fatisfaftion and advantage to thofe who attended it. His 

 leftures occupied three years, and comprehended hiftory, 

 geography, natural philofophy, grammar, the belles lettres, 

 natural hiftory, mental and moral philofophy, and the evi- 

 dences of natural and revealed religion. His next publica- 

 tion was his fermon occafioned by the death of the Rev. 

 Newcome Cappe, which contained a very appropriate and 

 juftly-merited eulogy of his late revered friend. It was 

 dedicated to Mrs. Cappe, who claimed from her talents and 

 charafter, as well as relation to' the deceafed, a tribute of 

 refpeft ; and annexed to it fome briefmemoirsof Mr. Cappe's 

 life. In the year 1 80 1 , Mr. Wood pubhftied a liturgy, con- 

 fifling of five forms, for the ufe of his congregation at MilU 

 hiH chapel, and compofed, for the moft part, from the 

 fervice pf the eftabhftied church, the Liverpool, Shrewfbury, 

 and other liturgies before pubhftied by the diflenters, as 

 well as from a fimilar fervice compofed by the Rev. T. Simp- 

 fon. Of this perfoimance it will be fufScient to ftate, that 

 it was executed with judgment and tafte. On the reftora- 

 lion of peace in the year 1802, he pubhftied an animated 

 difcourfe, which he delivered, in the courfe of his public 

 fervices, on that occafion. About this time he exerted him- 

 felf in eftabliftiing at York the academical inftitution, which 

 Jhad for fome years fubfifted at Manchefter, and which was 



likely to be difcontinued in confequence of the refignation 

 of the late Rev. G. Walker, the theological tutor. 



Intending, as he advanced in life, and when he had finiftied 

 the education of his daughter, to relinquifti the anxiety and 

 labour of tuition, he propofed to engage in fome literary 

 undertakings. Accordingly he was a contributor, in the 

 department of natural hiftory, to the Annual Review; but 

 the work which occupied his chief attention, and which 

 aff'orded him the greateft pleafure, was the Cyclopaedia 

 already mentioned. 



As a preacher, the laft of his pubhcations was a fermon 

 dehvered at Birmingham, June 9, 1805, for the benefit ot 

 the Proteilant diffenting charity -fchool, fupported by the 

 joint contributions of the two locieties of the old and nevir 

 meeting-houfes. After his return from an excurfion in the 

 months of July and Auguft 1806, he was attacked by a 

 fevere paroxyfm of the gout, to which he had been long 

 fubjeft ; and in a few days his diforder was fo alarming, that 

 his recovery was not expefted. As an aggravation of his 

 diftrefs, the affeftionate partner of his life was feized with a 

 diforder, which terminated in her death. For fome time his 

 ftate was fuch, that it was prudent to conceal from him both 

 the progrefs and termination of her diforder. The mourn- 

 ful event which he had apprehended was gradually difclofed 

 to him ; and he received the affliftive intelligence with a 

 degree of compofure and refignation, which evinced the 

 efficacy of his religious principles, and the confolation de- 

 rived in fuch circumftances from Chriftian hope. During a 

 long illnefs, which interrupted his pubhc labours, and which 

 was attended with a confiderable expence, the fociety with 

 which he was connefted had an opportunity of teftifying, by 

 fubftantial afts of kindnefs, the high fenfe they entertained 

 of his meritorious fervices. Providence at length reftored 

 liis health to fuch a degree, that he was able to refume his pub- 

 lic labours ; but they were of no long continuance. On Sun- 

 day the 27th of March 1808, he performed the ufual fervices 

 with an uncommon degree of animation. On the following 

 day, however, having previoufly experienced fymptoms of a 

 flying gout, he was fuddenly feized at dinner with a violent 

 ficknefs, which continued for many hours. This was fucceeded 

 by an inflammation of the bowels, which foon terminated in 

 a mortification. , The confequence was a delirium ; and on 

 Friday, the I ft of April, he expired fo quietly, that the 

 friends who attended his bed were not apprized of the mo- 

 ment of his departure. Thofe who wifli for further inform- 

 ation concerning the natural talents and acquired endow- 

 ments, the private charafter and public fervjcesof Mr. Wood, 

 will be amply gratified by the perufal of the " Memoirs of 

 his Life and Writings," and of the " Addrefs and Sermon" 

 dehvered on occafion of his death, by his friend and neigh- 

 bour the Rev. Charles Wellbeloved of York. 



Wood, Anthony, the Oxford Antiquary, was born at 

 Oxford in 1632, and entered of Merton college in 1647. 

 Having commenced M.A. and acquired a tafte for ftudies 

 pertaining to antiquity, he purfued with indefatigable dili- 

 gence both at Oxford and in London refearclies, which fur- 

 iiifhed him with materials for his " Hiftory and Antiquities 

 of the Univerfity of Oxford," a copy of which he fold to 

 the univerfity in 1669 for 100/. It was written in Enghft), 

 but afterwards tranflated into Latin, under the infpeftion of 

 Dr. Fell ; and the verfion was publifhed from the Oxford 

 prefs in 1674, under the title of " Hiftoria et Antiquitates 

 Univerfitatis Oxonienfis, duobus Voluminibus compre- 

 henfa," fol. The firft part of this work includes the annals 

 of the univerfity, from its earlieft period to the year 1 648 } 

 and the fecond contains an account of all its particular 

 foundations, endowments, officers, &c. The traniJation 



is 



