F O S 
melancholy office, which was to attend the earl of Kil¬ 
marnock, who was then in the Tower, under fentence of 
death for high-treafon, to aflift him in preparing for his 
laft moments. Afterwards he publiffied a pamphlet in 
8vo. entitled An Account of the Behaviour of the 
late Earl of Kilmarnock, after his Sentence, and on the 
Day oLhis Execution. In 1748, the Marifchal college 
at Aberdeen conferred on him the degree of dodtor of di¬ 
vinity. In 1749, Dr. Fofler publiffied, in quarto the firft 
volume of his Difcourfes on all the principal Branches of 
Natural Religion and Social Virtue. The fecond ap¬ 
peared in 1752. In April, 1750, he was attacked by a 
violent diforder, from the effects of which he never 
thoroughly recovered, though he continued to preach till 
January, 1752. In that month he had another attack, 
after which he continued in a declining way till tlie mid 
die of Oftober, when he received a violent paralytic flroke, 
and expired on the 5th of November following, in the 
fifty-fifth year of his age. 
FOS'TER (John), an eminent fcholar, born in 1731, 
at Wind for. He received his fchool education at Eton, 
where he acquired that proficiency in claflical learning 
which is the peculiar boaft of that feminary. He was 
elected to King’s college, Cambridge, in 1748, of which 
fociety he became a fellow. Dr. Barnard, mafter of Eton 
fchool, from his acquaintance with F'ofter’sabilities, chofe 
him for one of his a Aidants; and in 1765, when he was 
Iiimfelf raifed to the provollfhip, he obtained the port of 
mafter for Mr. Fofter. He was prefented to a canonry of 
Wind for in 1772, but he did not long enjoy it. Having 
vifited the German Spa for the recovery of his health, he 
died there in September, 1773. A Latin epitaph written 
by himfelf marks his tomb in the church-yard of the place. 
He is known as the author of An Effay on the different 
Nature of Accent and Quantity, with their„Ufe and Ap¬ 
plication in the Pronunciation of the Englifh, Latin and 
Greek Languages ; containing an Account and Explana¬ 
tion of the Ancient Tones, and a Defence of the prefent 
Syftem of Greek Accentual Marks, 8vo. 1762. It 
was efteemed an ingenious and erudite performance, 
though it did not go without reply. He annexed to his 
Eftay the Greek poem of Mufurus adareffed to Leo X. 
with an elegant Latin verfion. A prize dilfertation of 
this writer’s, pronounced in the fchools at Cambridge in 
1754, was alfo printed, with the title of Enarratio & Com- 
paratio Dodtrinarnm Moralium Epicuri & Stoicorum. 
FOS'TER (fir Michael), an eminent lawyer, born at 
Marlborough in Will (hire, in 1689. He received his edu¬ 
cation in Exeter college, Oxford. He was entered of 
the Middle Temple in 1707, and in due time called to 
the bar. Not meeting with much fuccefs in Weftminfter- 
hall, he fettled in Marlborough. He married in 1725, 
and afterwards removed to Briftol, where he pradtifed in 
his profeilion with great reputation. He was chofen re¬ 
corder of that city in 1735, and was called to the degree 
of ferjeant-at-law in 1736. In a cafe which came before 
him during the exerciie of this office, he maintained the 
legality of prefling feamen by profeffion into the fervice 
of the navy whenever the public fafety required it; a 
pradlice, of the neceffity of which all feem at prefent 
agreed, though different opinions are entertained of its 
conformity to the laws of the land. In 1735 Mr. Fofter 
publifhed a pamphlet entitled, An Examination of the 
Scheme of the Church Powef laid down in the Codex 
Juris Ecclefiaft. Anglican!, which occupied a confide, 
rable fliare of the public attention, and was efteemed by 
the friends of liberty an important barrier againft the dan¬ 
gerous principles of bifhop Gihfon’s work. In 1745, 
upon the recommendation of lord chancellor Hardwicke, 
he was created one of the judges of the court of King’s- 
bench, with the honour of knighthood. This ftation he 
maintained with great credit for legal knowledge and in. 
tegrity during the remainder of his life, a period of eigh¬ 
teen years, marked with the decifion of many points of 
lingular importance in civil and criminal law. In 1762 
F O S 615 
he publiffied a work which has perpetuated his name 
among the law writers of his country. This was, A Re¬ 
port of home Proceedings on the Commiflion for the Trial 
of the Rebels in the year 1746 in the County of Surrey ; 
and of other Crown Cafes ; to which are added Difcourfes 
upon a few Branches of the Crown Law. Of this work a 
fecond and third edition wiih improvements were pub- 
1 iflied in 1776, and 1792, by bis nephew, Mr. Michael 
Dodfon. The book is of ftandard reputation, and has 
given occafion to fir W. Blackftone to ftyle the author 
“a very great mafter of the crown law.” The health of 
judge Fofter began to decline foon after the death of his 
lady in 1758, and he was obliged occafionally to fpend 
pan of his trine at Batli. He held out, however, til! 1763, 
in which year, on November 7th, he tranquilly expired. 
FOS'TER (Samuel), an ingenious Englifti mathema- 
tician, born in Northamptonfhire, and profeffor of aftro- 
nomy in Grefham college, London. In 1616 he was ad¬ 
mitted of Emanuel college, Cambridge, where he took, 
his degree of B.A. in 161?, and that of M.A. in 1623. 
His inclination leading him chiefly to the ftudy of the 
mathematics, they became early the objedt of his diligent 
application, and he attained to confiderable proficiency 
in them. In 1624, lie publifhed his valuable treatife, 
The Ufe of the Quadrant, See. quarto. In 1636, a va¬ 
cancy taking place in the aftronomical profeft'orfhip of 
Grefham college, Mr. Fofter was elected to fill it ; but 
for fome reafon, of which we have no account, he refigne-d 
that chair within a few months after his appointment to 
it. He ftiil continued his mathematical ftudies, how. 
ever, with great diligence, and in 1638 he publifhed his 
Art of Dialling, quarto ; which was republifhed iii 
1675, by William Leybourn, w?th numerous additions 
and variations, from the author’s MSS. In 1641, the 
profefforBlip of aftrononiy in Grefham college again be¬ 
coming vacant, Mr. Fofter was a fecond time elefted to 
that office, and retained it during the remainder of his 
life. Mr. Fofter was one of thofe learned and ingenious 
gentlemen who, during the civil war between Charles I. 
and the parliament, to divert their attention without any 
reference to theology or ftate affairs, agreed to hold {fated 
meetings for the fake of cultivating the new philofophy, 
and ufeful knowledge. To the talents and induftry of 
many of them, the fcientific world, and indeed the whole 
republic of letters, is under no little obligation ; and their 
aflbeiation afterwards gave rife to the Royal Society. 
Mr. Fofter alfo rendered himfelf particularly famous for 
inventing and improving aftronomical and other mathe¬ 
matical inftruments. His knowledge, however, was not 
confined to the mathematical fciences, but extended to 
an intimate acquaintance with the learned languages; as 
fufficiently appears from his revifing and corredting the 
Lemmata of Archimedes, which had been tranflated from 
an Arabic MS. into Latin,, but not publiffied, by Mr. 
John Greaves. After having been long in a declining 
ftate of health, he died at Greiham college, in 1632. The 
greater part of his works, which his increafing infirmities 
prevented him from preparing for the prefs in the man¬ 
ner that he intended, was printed after his death under 
the care of feveral of his learned friends, and particularly 
Dr. John Twyfden, and Edmund Wingate, efq. They 
confift of,. 1. Pojlhuma Fq/leri: containing the Defcription 
of a Ruler, upon which are inferibed divers Scales, &x. 
quarto, 1652. 2. Four Treatifes of Dialling, quarto, 
1654. 3. Mifcellanies, or Mathematical Lucubrations, 
&c. folio, 1659 ; and, 4. The Sedtor altered, and other 
Scales added, with the Defcription and Ufe thereof, &c„ 
quarto, 1661. He likewife left behind him a MS. in 
folio, which has never been publiffied, entitled The Ufes 
of a general Quadrant invented by Mr. Samuel Fofter, &c. 
There have been two other perfons of the name of Fos¬ 
ter, who publifhed mathematical pieces. The firft was 
William Foster, who, in his youth, was a disciple of 
the celebrated Mr. Oughtred, and afterwards a teacher 
of mathematics in London. He puhliffied a tranflation 
a * - from 
