S$6 K N O 
. Tiie loud and angry tone in which he thundered out 
thefe replies to his calm and able antagonift, frightened 
us all, except Mrs. Knowles, who gently, not farcaltically, 
finiled at his injuftice. Mr. Bofwell whifpered me, “ I 
never faw this mighty lion lb chafed before.” Great as 
Johnfon was, in this inllance he is completely vanquilhed, 
and hides his diminilhed head in the prefence of his fe¬ 
male opponent. Feelings of contempt for him mult be 
excited by the irrational and weak bigotry, and the un¬ 
meaning abufe, which this dialogue developes. Mrs. 
Knowles, having furvived her hulband many years, died 
in Ely Place, Holborn, in April 1807, at the age of eighty 
years ; leaving one foil, George, who lias been noticed in 
a preceding part of this article. 
KOOWL'TON, a townlhip of the American States, in 
6uflex county, New Jerfey, containing 1937 inhabitants. 
KNOWLTO'NIA, J\ [fo named by Mr. Salifbury-in 
memory of Mr. Thomas Knoiulton, faid to have been She- 
rard’s gardener at Elthani.] In botany, a genus of the 
clafs polyandria, order polygynia, natural order multifili- 
quae, (ranunculaceae, JuJJ-) Mr. Salifbury feparated this 
genus from the Linnaean Adonis, and publilhed it in 
*796, by the above unexceptionable name, which there¬ 
fore takes place of VentenaLs Anamenia, publilhed feveral 
years after ; the latter being moreover liable to objedlion, 
f rom ltridl Linnaean fcholars, as being formed of an Ara¬ 
bic word. The generic characters are—Calyx: none. Co¬ 
rolla: petals numerous, from ten to twenty, oblong, with¬ 
out any nectary, deciduous; the innermolt longeit, and 
nearly linear; outermoltfomewhatovate, externally hairy. 
Stamina: filaments numerous, thread-lhaped, much Ihorter 
than the petals ; anther® vertical, two-lobed, roundilh, 
thick-edged, burlting at the edges. Piftillum : germens 
fuperior, numerous, ovate, collected into a round head ; 
Ityles lateral, awl-lhaped; ltigmas fimple, llightly recurved. 
Pericarpium: berries numerous, diftinCt, elliptical, point¬ 
ed, of one cell. Seed folitary, large, fmooth, of the fhape 
of the pericarpium, and attached to its bafe. Receptacle 
globofe.— EJfential CharaEltr. Calyx none ; petals numer¬ 
ous, oblong, deltitute of a neCtary. Receptacle of the 
fruit globole. Berries numerous, of one cell. Seeds fo- 
Jitary. 
For the fpecies, fee Adonis Capenfis, veficatoria, &c. 
vol. 5 . p. 122. ■ 
KNOW'MEN. The lollards in England, called he¬ 
retics for oppofing the church of Rome before the re¬ 
formation, went commonly under the name of hnozvmen, 
and juji'fajl-men ; which title was firft given them in the 
diocefe of Lincoln, by bifliop Smith, anno 1500. 
KNOX (John)> the intrepid and luccefsful promoter of 
the reformation in Scotland, was descended from an an¬ 
cient and honourable family in that kingdom, and born at 
Giffard, near Haddington, in Ealt Lothian, in the year 
1505. He received the firft part of his education at the 
grammar-fchool at Haddington ; and when of a proper age 
was fent to the univerlity of St. Andrew’s, where he was 
placed under the tuition of the learned Mr. John Mair. 
In this feminary he applied with uncommon diligence to 
the academical learning then in vogue; and, poljefling 
excellent natural abilities, he made Inch a rapid profici¬ 
ency, that he was admitted to the degree of M. A. at a 
very early age. Having determined to embrace the eccle- 
fiaftical profelTion, from this time he turned the courfe of 
his ftudies to divinity ; and, by the advantage of his tu¬ 
tor’s inltruilions, foon became fo diltinguilhed for his 
knowledge of fcholaftic theology, that he was admitted to 
prieft’s orders before the period ufually allowed by the 
canons. He now commenced teacher of his beloved fci- 
ence to others, and acquired great applaufe in that capa¬ 
city. After forae time, hou'ever, having carefully peruled 
the fathers, particularly the writings of St. Jerome and St. 
Auguftine, his acute and vigorous mind led him to re¬ 
nounce the cobweb fubtilties of the fchools, and to apply 
-bimfelf' to the ftudy of a more plain and folid divinity. 
JJpon this alteration in his theological tafte, he frequently 
K N O 
attended the preaching of Thomas G uilliam, or Williams, 
a black-friar, who was fo bold as publicly to preach againtt 
the pope’s authority, and who, Calderwood remarks, was 
the firft from whom Mr. Knox received any tafte of the 
truth. This friar w'as provincial of his order in 15.13, 
when the earl of Arran, then regent, favoured the refor¬ 
mation ; and his fermons made no little impreffion upon 
Mr. Knox. In the following year, Mr. George Wilhart, 
another celebrated reformer, coming from England with 
the comtniffioners fent by king Henry VIII. Knox, being 
of an inquifitive difpofition, learned from him the. princi¬ 
ples of the reformed religion. With thefe he was fo well 
pleafed, that from that time he renounced the Romifin re¬ 
ligion, and became a zealous proteltant. 
Mr. Knox bad quitted St. Andrew’s a little before this 
entire change in his opinions, having been appointed tu¬ 
tor to the ions of the lairds of Ormiftoun and Langnidry, 
who were both favourers of the reformation. His ufuai 
refidence was at Langnidry, where he not only inftruCted 
his pupils in the different branches of learning, but was 
particularly careful to inftil into them the principles of 
piety and the proteftant religion. Information of this 
being brought to David Beaton, cardinal and archbilhop 
of St. Andrew’s, that prelate profecuted him with fuch 
feverity, that he was obliged to abfcond, and frequently 
to change the place of his concealment. Harralfed by 
fuch continual dangers, he determined to retire to Ger¬ 
many, where the principles of the reformation were mak¬ 
ing rapid progrefs, knowing, that in England, though the 
authority of the pope was fupprefled, yet the greater part 
of the Romilh tenets were ftill maintained. The fathers 
of his pupils, however, difluaded him from this defign ; 
and, cardinal Beaton having been alfaffinated in 1546, by 
Norman and John Leflie, in retaliation of his cruelty in 
condemning and burning for herefy their relation the ve¬ 
nerable Wilhart, Knox was prevailed upon, in the follow¬ 
ing year, to take fhelter with his pupils in the caftle of 
St. Andrew’s, which was then in polTeffion of the Lefties, 
the determined friends of the reformation. In this afy- 
lum he continued to teach his pupils in his ufuai manner. 
Belides the grammar and the claftical authors, he inltrufled 
them in the catechetical method, and obliged them to 
give an account of the fubjedts of his lefl'ons publicly in 
the parilh-church of St. Andrew’s. He alfo continued a 
practice which he had begun before be quitted Langni¬ 
dry, that of giving lectures to them on the Gofpel of St. 
John. Thefe lectures he delivered at a Hated hour, in the 
chapel within the walls of the caftle ; and they were fre¬ 
quented by feveral perfons from the city, among whom 
were fome people of note. Thefe, being greatly pleafed 
with Mr. Knox’s manner of teaching, earneltly entreated 
him to undertake the office of a preacher; and at length, 
though not without great reludlance, he promifed to com¬ 
ply with their requelt. 
“The firft preachers againft popery in Scotland,” fays 
Dr. Robertfon, “.of whom feveral had appeared during 
the reign of James V. were more eminent for zeal and 
piety than for learning. Their acquaintance with the 
principles of the reformation was partial, and at fecond- 
hand ; fome of them had been educated in England ; all 
of them had borrowed their notions from the books pub¬ 
lilhed there ; and, in the firft dawn of the new light, they 
did not venture far before their leaders. But, in a Ihort 
time, the dodlrines and writings of the foreign reformers 
became generally known ; the inquifitive genius of the 
age prefled forwards in the quell of truth ; the difcovery 
of one error opened the way to others; the downfall of 
one impofture drew many after it; the whole fabric, 
which ignorance and fuperftition had eredted in times of 
darknefs, began to totter; and nothing was wanting to 
complete its ruin, but a daring and adlive leader to direct 
the attack. Such was the famous John Knox, who, with 
better qualifications of learning, and more extenfive views 
than any of his predecelfors in Scotland, pofleifed a natu¬ 
ral intrepidity of mind, which fet him above fear. He 
1 began. 
