WIL 
Bolt Court, Fleet Street, being the same 
house where another eminent self-taught 
philosopher, Mr. James Ferguson, had im- 
mediately before liiin lived and died. 
AFILKINS (Dr. John), in biography, a 
very ingenious and learned English bishop 
and mathematician, was the son of a gold- 
smith at Oxford, and born in 1614. After 
being educated in Greek and Latin, in 
which he made a very quick progress, he 
was entered a student of New Inn in that 
university, when he was but thirteen 
years of age ; but after a short stay there, 
he was removed to Magdalen Hall, where 
he took his degrees. Having entered into 
holy orders, he first became chaplain to 
William Lord Say, and afterwards to Charles 
Count Palatine of the Rhine, with whom 
he continued for some time. Adhering to 
the Parliament during the civil wars, they 
made him warden of Wadham College 
about the year 1648. In 1656 he married 
the sister of Oliver Cromwell, then lord 
protector of Ei\gland, who granted him a 
dispensation to hold his wardenship, not- 
withs, landing his marriage. In 1659, he was 
by Richard Cromwell made master of Tri- 
nity College in Cambridge ; but ejected the 
year following, upon the restoration. He 
was then chosen preacher to the society of 
Gray’s Inn, and rector of St. Lawrence 
Jewry, London, upon the promotion of Dr. 
Seth Ward to the bishoprick of Exeter. 
About this time he became a member of 
the Royal Society, was chosen of their 
council, and proved one of their most emi- 
nent members. He was afterwards made 
dean of Rippon, and in 1668 bishop of 
Chester ; but died of the stone in 1672, at 
fifty-eight years of age. 
Burnet writes, that “ he was a man of as 
great a mind, as true a judgment, as emi- 
nent virtues, and of as good a soul, as any 
he ever knew; that though he married 
Cromwell’s sister, yet he made no other 
use of that alliance, but to do good offices, 
and to cover the university of Oxford from 
the sourness of Owen and Goodwin. At 
Cambridge, he joined with those who stu- 
died to propagate better thoughts, to take 
men off from being in parties, or from nar- 
row notions, from superstitious conceits, and 
fierceness about opinions. He was also a 
great observer and promoter of experi- 
mental philosophy, which was then a new 
thing, and much looked after. He was na- 
turally ambitious, but was the wisest clergy- 
man I ever knew. He was a lover of man- 
kind, and had a delight in doing good." 
WIL 
Of his publications, which are all of them 
very ingenious and learned, and many of 
tfiem particularly curious and entertaining ; 
the first was in 1638, .when he was only 
twenty-four years of age, lYz. “The Disco- 
very of a New World ; or, a Discourse to 
prove, that it is probable there may be 
another Habitable World in the Moon ; 
with a Discourse concerning the Possibility 
of a Passage thither.” In 1640, “ A Dis- 
course concerning a New Planet, tending 
to prove that it is probable our Earth is 
one of the Pljnets.” In 1641, “Mercury; 
or, the secret and swift Messenger ; show- 
ing how a man may with privady and speed 
communicate his thoughts to a friend at 
any distance 8vo. In 1648, “ Mathema- 
tical Magic ; or, the Wonders that may 
be performed by Mathematical Geometry 
8vo. All these pieces weie published en- 
tire in one volume, 8vo. in 1708, under the 
title of, “ The Mathematical and Philo- 
sophical Works of the Right Rev. John 
Wilkins,” &c. To tliis collection is also 
subjoined an abstract of a larger work, 
printed in 1668, folio, entitled, “ An Essay 
towards a real Character and a philosoplib 
cal Language.” 
WILL. In the Hartleyan acceptation 
of the term, the will is that state of mind 
which is immediately previous to, and 
causes, those express acts of memory, ima- 
gination, reasoning, or bodily motion, which 
we term voluntary ; corresponding to the 
common acceptation of the term volition. 
In the more customary use of the term, it 
comprehends ^the whole class of feelings by 
which volition is produced, (for an account 
of which, See Mental Philosophy, 
63—99). 
. It would be an interesting and very im- 
portant inquiry, how far volition may be- 
come connected wfith, and regulate, the 
trains of thought and feeling, and the state 
of mind which we call attention ; but this 
would lead us into a field which neither' 
our limits of time, nor of space, would allow 
ns to survey even cursorily^ That such 
Connection can be formed in various in- 
stances, there is no room for doubt; and 
were it otherwise, man would be merely 
the creature of external circumstances: 
that, on the other hand, there are limits to 
such establishment, is also indisputable ; 
and were it not so, man might become the 
creator of his ovvv mind, and all the benefits 
arising from the intellectual and social 
powers depend upon caprice. But we 
must content ourselves with laying before 
