984 FOR 
3. Forfkchleaanguftifolia, or narrow-leaved forflcohlea: 
ftrigofe; leaves lanceolate, the teeth thorny-briftle-lhaped; 
calycine fegments, lanceolate-fubulate. Annual ; ad¬ 
hering like the others ; Hem red ; leaves with four and 
fometimes only three fmall teeth on each fide, ending in 
a fmall fpine ; not white underneath, but adhering by 
little fpines on the nerves; piftils three. Native of the 
idand of Teneriffe ; introduced in 1779; it flowers in 
July and Anguft. 
FORSOO'TH, adv. [-{cojifo^Se, Sax.] In truth ; cer¬ 
tainly ; very well. It is tiled almoft always in an ironical 
or contemptuous fenfe.—In the Eafl Indies a widow, who 
has any regard to her character, throws herfelf into the 
flames of her hu(band’s funeral pile, to (hew, forfooth, that 
flte is faithful to the memory of her deceafed lord. Addifon. 
Wherefore doth Lyfander 
Deny your love, fo rich within his foul, 
And tender me, forfooth, affection ! Shakefpeare. 
Jt is fuppofed once to have been a word of honour in ad- 
drefs to women. It is probable that an inferior, being 
called, (hewed his attention by anfwering Yes, forfooth, 
which in time toft its true meaning ; and infteadof a mere 
exclamatory interjection, was fuppofed a compellation. 
—Our old Englith word forfooth has been changed tor the 
French madam. Guardian. —It appears in Shakefpeare to 
have been ufed likewife to men. 
FORSPE'NT, fart. adj. Wafled : 
Who was to weet a wretched wearifh elfe, 
With hollow eyes and rawbone chetkes-forfpent, 
As if he had in prifon long bene pent. Spcnfer. 
Wearied : 
Tcrfpent with toil, as runners at a race, 
I lay me down a little while to breathe. Shakefpeare. 
FOR'STA, a town of Lufatia, on the river Neifs ; the 
tfhief trade of the inhabitants is in manufacturing fine 
woollen and linen cloths and carpets, and brewing beer: 
thirteen miles eafl: of Cotbus, and fifty-four north-north- 
eaft of Drefden. 
FOR'STENOVE, a town of Germany, in the circle of 
Weflphalia, and billiopric of Ofnabruck; fifteen miles 
from Ofnabruck. 
FOR'STER, [from forejlcr.'] A furname. 
FOR'STER (John), a learned German lutheran divine 
and Hebraift, born at Augfburg, in 1495. He early dif- 
covered a firong paffion for knowledge and learning; and 
after availing himfelf of the advantages for improvement 
which his native city afforded, repaired to Ingoldftadt in 
Bavaria, where he enjoyed the opportunity of .profiting 
by the inftrudtions of the learned Reuchlin. Afterwards 
Ire went for farther improvement to Leipfic, where he 
fiudied theology, and the other branches of literature 
proper to qualify him for the clerical profeffion. It was 
in this univerfity that he firfi commenced teacher of the 
Hebrew language, and alfo of divinity. Afterwards he 
removed to the univerfity of Wittemberg, where his ta¬ 
lents and learning raifed him to high consideration. For 
eight years he discharged the duties of public profefibr of 
Hebrew in that univerfity, with eminent fuccefs and re¬ 
putation, at the fame time that he rendered eflential fer- 
vice to the proteftant religion by his labours as a divine. 
When Luther undertook his tranflation of the Bible, he 
availed himfelf of the afliftance of Forfter, and fubmitted 
more readily to his judgment refpeCting the fenfe of diffi¬ 
cult pallages than to that of any other of his learned affo- 
ciates. Forfler died at Wittemberg, in 1556, when about 
fixty-one years old, highly beloved for his candour and 
piety, as well as refpeCted for his great literary attain¬ 
ments. He was the author of DiBionarium Hebraicum. No. 
vwriy which was printed at Bafil, in 1557, folio, and bears 
the churatter of being a very valuable work. 
There was another German lutheran divine of the name 
cf John Forster, who was alfo a profefibr at Wittem¬ 
berg, and afterwards became minifter at Eifleben, where 
he dted, ip 1613. He was the author of numerous theo- 
FOR 
logical and critical productions, and among others of 
Commentaries on Exodus, ifaiah, and Jeremiah, in 3 
vols. 4to. and a treatife De Interpretations Scriptuarum, 4to. 
printed at Wittemberg, in 1608. 
Both the preceding mult be diltinguiflied from a third 
John Forster, who followed the profelfion ofajurift 
at Padua, and was the author of a work entitled Procejfui 
judiciarius Cameralis. 
FOR'STER (Nathaniel), alearned divine of the church 
of England, born at Stadfcombe in Devonfhire, of which 
his father was minifter, in 1717. Soon after his birth his 
father removed to Plymouth, where he initiated his fori 
in the rudiments of a grammatical education, and after¬ 
wards fent him to the public grammar fchool in that town. 
In 1731-2, he was fent to Eton, and at the fame time en¬ 
tered at Pembroke-college, Oxford, in order to entitle him 
to the benefit of an exhibition. In 1733, he was admitted 
fcholar of Corpus-Chrifti-college, where Dr. Burton was 
tutor ; and, after taking his degree of bachelor of arts in 
1735, and that of mafter of arts in 1738, was in 1739 elect¬ 
ed a fellow of that inftitution. The firfi: preferment which 
he obtained in the church was the fmall rectory of Hethe, 
in Oxfordfhire, to which he was prefented, in 1749, by 
lord-chancellor Hardwicke, on the recommendation of 
liis earlieft friend, Dr. Seeker, then bifhop of Oxford. 
Dr. Seeker alfo introduced him to the notice of his friend 
Dr. Butler, at that time bifiiop of Briftol, to whom lie- 
became domeftic chaplain when in the year 1^50 that pre¬ 
late was tranfiated to the fee of Durham. In the year 
laft mentioned, before he quitted the univerfity, Mr. 
Forfter was admitted to the degree of doCtor of divinity. 
In 1754 he was promoted to a prebendal flail in the church 
of Briftol; and before the expiration of it was prefented 
by Dr. Herring archbifliop of Canterbury to the Valuable 
vicarage of Rochdale, in Lancafliire. He was elected a 
fellow of the royal fociety in 1755 ; made one of the chap¬ 
lains to his majefty in 1756; and appointed preacher at 
the Rolls chapel in 1757. In the year laft mentioned he 
married a lady of much merit, and poflefied of a confide- 
rable fortune ; on which occafion he fixed his relidence 
in Craig’s-court, Weftininfter. He died in that (filiation, 
after a (hort illnefs, before the end of 1757, in the forty- 
firft year of his age. Among his connections and friends 
he had to rank many of the mod learned-and refpeCtable 
characters of his age ; and he is commended for the ju¬ 
dicious difeernment, mildnefs, and benevolence, which 
he difplayed in private life. The following is a lift of 
his works : 1. Reflections on the Natural Antiquity of 
Government, Arts, and Sciences, in Egypt, 1743. 2. 
Platonis Dialogi quinque: Receifuit, Notis il/ufravit, Nathaniel 
Forfer, A. M. &c. 1745. 3. Appendix Liviana, continens } 
I. ScleBus Codicum, MSS. & Editionum Antiquarian LcBiones, 
pracipuas variorum Emendationcs , & Supplementa Lacuna-rum. 
in Us T. Livii qua fuperfunt Libris: II. J. Freinjhemii Supple- 
mentorum Libros X in Locum Decadis fecund a Liviana deper- 
dita, 1746. 4. Popery deftruCtive of the Evidence of 
Chriftianity, a Sermon preached before the Univerfity of 
Oxford, November 5, 1746. 5. A Diflertation upon the 
Account fuppofed to have been given of Jefus Chrift by 
Jofephus, 1749. 6 . Biblia Hebraica, fine PunBis, accurante 
Nath. Forfer, &c. 1750. 7. Remarks on the Rev. Dr. 
Hebbing’s Differtation on the Power of States to deny 
Civil Protection to the Marriages of Minors, See. 1755. It 
Ihould be obferved, that the Appendix Liviana was a joint 
publication of Dr. Forfter and another fellow of Corpus- 
Chrifti-college, and was publifhed without a name. 
FOR'STER (John Reinhold), an eminent naturalift 
and philologift, born in October, 1729, at Dirfchaw, in 
Poli(h-Pruflia, where his father was a burgomafter. He 
was placed at the public fchool of Marienwerder; and 
when about fifteen he was fent to Berlin, where he was 
admitted into the gymnafium of Joachimfthal. Having a 
decided attachment to the learned languages, he made 
great progrefs under Mezelius and Heinfius ; and even 
while at fchool applied to the ftudy of the Coptic. He 
applied alfo to Several of the modern languages, and par¬ 
ticularly 
