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till the year 1787 that the laft flave difappeared from among 

 them. But the near approach of this confummation was 

 witnefled by his coadjutor, Anthony Benezet, who died in 

 1784, whofe fame has fpread wider than Woolman's, be- 

 caufe his opportunities were more extenfive, who lived for 

 the caufe throughout Europe, and carried its fuccefsful 

 plea from the narrow limits of the fociety of Friends into 

 the world at large. Of this excellent man, whofe biography 

 efcaped the early part of this work, it may not be too late 

 here to record in brief, — that he was born at St. Quintin, in 

 Picardy, of a refpeftable family, in 1 7 13; that he was 

 carried by his father, who fled from the perfecutions which 

 fell upon the Huguenots, to London, and there formed for 

 mercantile purfuits ; that upon removing to Philadelphia with 

 his family in 173 1, having now entered into the fociety of 

 Friends, he devoted his hfe, upon principle, firft to the 

 education of youth in ufeful knowledge and the Chriftian 

 faith, and iJtimately to the nobleft toils of humanity. But 

 to return to our prefent fubjeft : in the year 1772, John 

 Woolman, believing it his duty to pay a religious vifit to 

 the friends in England, embarked for that purpofe at 

 Chefter, on the Delaware, and arrived at London in time to 

 attend their yearly meeting. After it he travelled, exer- 

 cifing his miniftry among his friends, through feveral ooun- 

 tiee, as far as York. Here, at a large quarterly meeting, 

 he once more pleaded for the negroes, endeavouring, and 

 probably with efFeft, to engage the fupport of thofe prefent 

 to the caufe of humanity : foon after which he was feized 

 with the fmall-pox. During a fevere ftruggle with this dif- 

 eafe, he manifefled great patience and humility, with a firm 

 faith in the Redeemer ; and nature finking in the conflift, he 

 expired in peace in his fifty-fecond year. 



As a preacher, we hear not of his eloquence nor of his 

 learning, except, fays one of the refpeftable friends who has 

 favoured us with the documents of this article, " in heart- 

 knowledge, and in the fchool of Chrift ;" but in life, he was 

 a bright example of the integrity, meeknefs, charity, and 

 beneficence which in that fchool alone are to be acquired ; 

 and his memory for his works' fake is blefled. Memoir of 

 John Woolman, chiefly extrafted from a Journal of his Life 

 and Writings, London, 1815. 



WOOLPER's Creek, in Geography, a river of Ken- 

 tucky, which runs into the Ohio, N. lat. ^S" ^x'. W. 

 long. 85° 7'. 



WOOLPIT, a village of England, in the county of 

 Suffolk ; 8 miles E. of Bury St. Edmunds. 



WOOLSTANTON, a village of England, in Stafford- 

 fliire ; 2 miles N. of Newcaftle-under-Line. 



WOOL-STAPLE, denotes a city or town where 

 wool ufed to be fold. See Staple. 



WOOLSTED. See Worsted. 



WOOLSTON, Thomas, in Biography, an EngUfti 

 divine, was born in 1669 at Northampton, and admitted in 

 1685 of Sidney college, Cambridge, where he was diftin- 

 euifhed by his diligence and regularity. He was elefted 

 fellow of his college, took orders, preached with approba- 

 tion, and was efteemed for his learning and piety. In his 

 exercifes for the degree of B.D. he maintained " the exaft 

 fitnefs of the time in which Chrift was manifefted in the 

 flefh," in a difcourfe which was well received. But his 

 temper being naturally enthufiaftic, and perufing the 

 works of Origen, he indulged a great fondnefs for allego- 

 rical interpretations of fcripture, which afterwards led 

 him into a variety of Angular and extravagant opinions. 

 He began in 1 705 with " The old Apology for the Truth 

 of the Chriftian Religion againft the Jews and Gentiles 

 revived," maintaining that all the anions of Mofes were 



WOO 



typical of Chrift, and of his church ; and the book waB^ 

 iffued from the univerfity prefs. Woolfton remained in 

 college till the )'ear 1720, when he went to London, and, 

 publilhed a Latin differtation concerning the fuppofedi 

 epiftle of Pontius Pilate to Tiberius, relative to Jefus Chrift. 

 In the fame year he alfo pubhihed two Latin epiftJes, ad- 

 drefled to Whitby, Waterland, Whifton, and others ; 

 " Circa Fidem vere Orthodoxam et Scripturarum Interpre- 

 tationem," defending Ongen's allegorical interpretation of 

 fcripture. His deviation from the eftablifhed faith wasi 

 more apparent in his inquiry, " Whether the people called' 

 Quakers do not the neareft of any other feft in religion; 

 refemble the primitive Chriftians in principles and praftice ?"| 

 Blending farcafm with argument, he now feemed to indulge: 

 a fpirit of animofity againft the clergy. Declining at the 

 fame time to refide at college, he was deprived of his fellow- 

 fhip in 1 72 1. In his " Four Free Gifts to the Clergy," 

 he denominated them " hireling priefts," and " minifters of 

 the letter." Although he might be fufpefted, he was not 

 yet chargeable with hiftorical incredidity ; for in 1726 he 

 publiftied " A Defence of the Miracle of the Thundering 

 Legion againft Mr. Moyle." At length he engaged in 

 the controverfy between Anthony Collins and his oppo- 

 nents, and publiftied " The Moderator between an Infidel 

 and an Apoftate," and " Two Supplements," in which 

 he not only contended for myftical interpretations of the 

 miracles of Chrift, but maintained that they were never 

 aftually wrought. Confidered as an avowed enemy to the 

 Chriftian religion, a profecution was inftituted againft him 

 by the attorney-general, but ftayed by the interpofition ot 

 Whifton, and fome other advocates of toleration. Not- 

 withftanding this lenity, he proceeded in pubhftiing " Six 

 Difcourfes on the Miracles," and two " Defences of the 

 Difcourfes," in which, blending ridicule and buffoonery 

 with argument, he maintained his ofFenfive opinions. This 

 pertinacity and rudenefs prejudiced believers in the divine 

 mifGon of Chrift againft him ; replies iffued from the prefs j 

 but as he again became amenable to the law, he was tried 

 at Guildhall before lord chief juftice Raymond, when, after 

 many arguments for and againft him, he was found guilty, 

 and fentenced to a year's imprifonment, and a fine of 100/. 

 Unable to pay his fine, he refided within the rules of the 

 King's Bench, and fubfifted by an annual allowance granted 

 to him by his brother, and the contributions of fome learned 

 and liberal friends, who vindicated his intentions, whilft they 

 difapproved his enthufiafm and fanaticifm. Among thefe 

 were fome, and particularly Dr. S. Clarke, who condemned 

 every fpecies or femblance of religious perfecution, and 

 who endeavoured to procure his releafe ; but they could 

 not prevail upon him to ftipulate that he would not per- 1 

 fevere in publifhing his peculiar opinions. But death gav6[ ■ 

 him that releafe, which his friends could not obtain for him ;• . 

 as he was carried off by an epidemic difeafe, within four 

 days after his feizure, in January 1732-3. Not long before 

 he expired, he faid, " This is a ftruggle which all men 

 muft go through, and which I bear, not only patiently, but , 

 willingly." His moral charafter is faid to have been un-, . 

 impeachable, and his head was thought to have been more 

 difordered than his heart. Biog. Brit. 



WOOLWICH, in Geography, a market-town and parifh 

 in the hundred of Blackheath, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, . 

 and county of Kent, England, is fituated on the S. bank 

 of the Thames, 8 miles E. from London. The etymology 

 of Woolwich, a name very varioufly written at different, 

 periods, is uncertain : according to Hafted, in his " Hif- 

 tory of Kent," one of the ancient names, Hulviz, fignified 

 the " dwelling on the creek." The parifh comprehends 



about 



