740 K 1 
lumes, by the author of the Purfuits of Literature, on ac¬ 
count of fome linking interpretations of prophecy which 
they exhibited, and which were, feveral years after the 
appearance of the Models, in a remarkable degree con¬ 
firmed, by the great events which took place in Europe. 
In 1791, he published An Imitation of the Prayer of Abel, 
in the llyle of Ealtern poetry; and, in 1793, Confidera- 
tions on the Utility of the National Debt, 8vo. In 1796, 
the lovers of antiquarian research were gratified with his 
elegant Veftiges ot Oxford Callle, folio; and in the fame 
year he prefented to the philofophical world his “Remarks 
concerning Stones laid to have fallen from the Clouds, 
both in thefe Days and in Ancient Times,” 4to. Two 
years afterwards, he lent forth his “ Remarks on the Signs 
of the Times,” 4-to. to which a Supplement was added in 
the following year, which led to the very ableCritical Dif- 
qnilitions of the late venerable bilhop Horfley on the 
eighteenth chapter of Ifaiah, addreffed in letter to Mr. 
King, in which his lordIhip bellows the following high 
but well-merited eulogium on that gentleman : “ I can¬ 
not enter upon the fubject without profefiing, not to 
yourfelf, but to the world, how highly I value and efleem 
your writings, for the variety and depth of erudition, the 
fagacity and piety, which appear in every part of them : 
but appear not more in them than in the converfation 
and the habits of your life, to thofe who have the happi- 
nefs, as I have, to enjoy your intimacy and friendlhip. I 
mult publicly declare that I think you are rendering the 
bell fervice to the church of God, by turning the atten¬ 
tion of believers to the true fenfe of all the prophecies.” 
In 1799, Mr. King publilhed the firll volume of a molt 
arduous and magnificent undertaking, the work of many 
years laborious (tudy and inveftigation, entitled “ Muni- 
tncnta Antiqua, or Obfervations on Ancient Caltles, includ¬ 
ing Remarks on the whole Prog refs of Architecture, Ec- 
clefialtical as well as Military, in Great Britain ; and on 
the Correfponding Changes in Manners, Laws, and Cuf- 
toms; tending to illuftrate Modern Hiltory,and to elucidate 
many interefting Paffages in various Clalfic Authors, fob” 
The lecond volume appeared in 1802, and the third in 
3804. The fourth volume was nearly ready for the prefs, 
when death clofed the labours of its author. It was pub¬ 
lilhed by his executors in 1809. The Munimenta Anti¬ 
qua is accompanied by beautiful and very accurate engrav¬ 
ings, fome of which are from the elegant drawings of his 
piece, the Hon. Mrs. Henry Windfor. In 1803, Mr. 
King publilhed a fmall traCt entitled, “ Ilonell Appre- 
lienfions, and fincere Confefiionsof Faith, of a plain lionelt 
Layman 5” and in 1805, he engaged in a literary difculfion 
with Mr. Dutens on the antiquity of the arch, which led 
to feveral publications on both Tides. 
Such have been the learned labours of Mr. King, as far 
as thofe labours have met the public eye; and it will not 
be difputed that they have greatly afiilted to inform and 
enlighten mankind, on the important 1'ubjeCts to the elu¬ 
cidation of which they were fo lloneftly and fo zealoully 
directed. His public fervices in the caule of learning, 
great and extenfive as they w'ere, were not, however, by 
any means his only labours. He left behind him an un¬ 
commonly large collection of moll curious and valuable 
manuferipts on various fubjeCls, which were written at 
different periods of his life, and lome of which appear to 
have been intended for the prefs ; and, among thefe, a very 
extenfive work, which had been the fruits of many years 
patient and deep Itudy, on the theory of the earth. It is 
to this work that he refers, in the thirteenth chapter of 
the Supplement to his Morfels of Criticifm, on the com¬ 
bined effeCts of gravitation, the attraction of cohefion and 
the centrifugal force of our earthly globe: “ For near forty 
years, with unceafing attention,” fays he, “ inquiries to 
elucidate this fubjeCt have been an object of my purfuit; 
and the firlt intimations of the chain and mode of reafon- 
ing which I was led to purfue, and of the ideas which led 
me to it, were ventured by me into the world, and were 
printed in the Philofophical TranlaClions, vol. lvii. for the 
wear 1767, long before Mr. Whitehurft’s book was pub- 
N G. 
lifiied. Since the printing of that paper, I have continue 
ally been purfuing the lubjeCt analytically, both by putting 
together faCts refulting from every obfervation that I had 
myfelf any opportunities to make on natural appearances; 
and alfo by collecting and arranging faCts from all the ac¬ 
counts I could' meet with of the molt intelligent voyagers 
and travellers, and natural hiftorians ; and thefe,” adds 
he, “ I lliould ere*this have communicated to the world; 
endeavouring to place the conclufions refulting from the 
whole in the fulleft and faireft point of view ; but have 
been hindered by the great expence attending the engrav¬ 
ing of the numerous drawings that muff accompany fucli 
a kind of publication. Whether (continues he) it will 
ever be in my power during the fhort remainder of life, if 
my days be prolonged,"to accomplilh my vvilh of over¬ 
coming thefe difficulties, and of publilhing the materials 
I have collected, arranged, and written ; or whether any 
one coming after ir,e, will take the trouble and care to 
make ufe of them ; or whether any more able inquirers 
will tread in the fame path ; I cannot dare to expeCt with 
any fanguine hope.” 
In 1781 he became a vice-prefident of the Society of 
Antiquaries, on the vacancy occalioned by the death of 
fir Jofeph Ayloffe, hart. In the year 1783, the fociety 
loft its prefident, the late dean Milles. For feveral years 
it had been, from a variety of cautes, in a ftate very far 
from profperous; its pecuniary refources deficient, and a 
certain degree of languor attending its weekly meetings, 
which obltruCted thofe lively animated communications of 
feience, on the fupplies of which, not only the welfare 
but the exiftence of fuch a learned body moft obvioufly 
depends. It was therefore highly neceflary to appoint 
fome perfon to the office of prefident, who by the influ¬ 
ence of his character and other qualifications might be ca¬ 
pable of reftoring its enfeebled energies. The eyes of all 
were turned on Mr. King, and he accepted of the refpon- 
fible charge. Mr. King’s continuance in the office of 
prefident was, however, but fhort; for, at the annual elec¬ 
tion in the following year, he quitted the chair, in order 
to introduce lord de Ferrars, now marquis Townfend, as 
the future prefident. During the prefidency of Mr. King, 
an unnfual number of learned and dillinguifhed men offer¬ 
ed themfelves for admiffion into the fociety. Some difa- 
greements having unfortunately occurred, in 1785, be¬ 
tween him and the noble prefident; the name of Mr. King 
was in the following year left out of the houfe-lilt of 
council. From this time he ceafed to be an attending 
member of the Society of Antiquaries. In the Archaeo- 
logia and in the Philofophical TranfaCtions are many valu¬ 
able and curious communications from Mr. King. He 
died in May 1807, and was privately interred at Becken¬ 
ham in Kent, in which parifli he had a country refidence. 
In 1765 he married a daughter of William Blower, efq. 
of the Hytlie, Leicefterfliire, who furvived him. He left 
no iffue. Monthly Mag. for July 1807. 
KING, a city of China, of the fecond rank, in Pe- 
tche-li: 130 miles fouth of Peking. Lat. 37. 46. N. Ion. 
irS. fe. _ ... 
KING, a town of China, of the third rank, in Kiang- 
nan : twenty miles fouth-welt of Ning-koue. 
KING, or Kin-yuen, a city of China, of the firlt 
rank, in Quang-fi : 1037 miles fouth-fouth-weft of Pe¬ 
king. Lat. 24. 26. N. Ion. 108. E. 
KING, a town of Africa, in the kingdom of Cacongo: 
forty miles fouth-eaft of Effena. 
KING'-APPLE, f. A kind of apple. See Pyrus.— 
The king-apple is preferred before the jenneting. Mortimer. 
KING’S BAND, in mufical hiftory, a royal houfehold 
eftablilhment. In the reign of king Edward IV. mufic, 
after leading a vagrant life in our country, and being pall¬ 
ed from parilh to parilh, feems at length, by the favour of 
this monarch, to have acquired a fettlement; for it ap¬ 
pears by his letters patent, under the great feal of his 
realm of England, bearing date the 24th of April, 1469, 
in the ninth year of his reign, that this prince did incor¬ 
porate certain minftrels, and give them a charter. The 
original 
