340 M I D D 
*nd all the fouth aide, 13 demolifhecf. From a Gothic 
door-way, built in one of the arches, it Ihould feem to 
have been deftroyed a great number of years, apparently 
long before the lea made its encroachments fo near. On 
the fouth fide of the church is a remarkable large ivy- 
ftem, whofe fpreading foliage nearly covers the fouth and 
weft tides of the roof. This ruinated church, and fea- 
wafhed cemetery, have been retrieved from oblivion by 
the poetical painting of Charlotte Smith ; her 44th Sonnet 
having been written in that church-yard. And two view's 
of the place have been given in the Gent. Mag. for June 
1796, and Sept. 1797. 
MID'DLETON (William), a Welfh poet, was born at 
Gwernfnog in Denbighfhire, and died about 1600. He 
ferved in the armies of queen Elizabeth, and afterwards 
commanded a lhip of war ; and, when at fea, turned the 
Book of Pfalms into Welfh verfe. This work was finifhed 
in the Weft Indies, in 1595. He was alfo the author of 
a Grammar, and an Art of Poetry, publilhed in 1598. 
MID'DLETON (Sir Hugh), a public-fpirited man, w'as 
the fixth fon of Richard Middleton, elq. governor of Den¬ 
bigh caftle, in the reigns of Edward VI. Mary, and Eli¬ 
zabeth. The fubjeCt of this article fettled in London, 
as a goldfmith : but in early life he had engaged in mining- 
Jpeculations in his own country, and worked a copper- 
mine in Cardiganfhire, which brought him in a confider- 
able income. During the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. 
the citizens of London obtained a power to bring a new 
luppiy of water to the city, from certain ftreamsor fprings 
in Middlefex or Hertfordflrire. Various attempts were 
made ; but they w’ere all abandoned, on account of the 
difficulty and expenfe attached to fo vaft a concern. At 
length the city made over to Mr. Middleton, and hisdieirs, 
all the powers and rights conferred by an aCl of parlia¬ 
ment ; and he began the bufinefs in the year 1608. Two 
fprings, one rifmg near Ware, and the other at Amwell, 
in Hertfordlhire, were united for the fiipply of an artifi¬ 
cial river, which was conducted to the metropolis. The 
expenfes of the undertaking were fo great, that they ex- 
haufted the fortune of the projector, who, having in vain 
applied to the corporation of London for affiftance, pro¬ 
cured it from the king, to whom a half-fhare of the con¬ 
cern was made over in confideration of his taking an equal 
(hare in the expenfes. This great work was completed in 
1613; and, on Michaelmas day, the water w'as let into 
the refervoir of Iflington with great folemnity. See the 
article London, vol. xiii. p. 85. Mr. Middleton was 
rewarded with the honour of knighthood ; but his pro¬ 
fits were fo frnall, that he was under the necefiity of 
engaging in the bufinefs of a furveyor, or what is now 
denominated a civil engineer; and in that capacity ren¬ 
dered eflential fervice to his country, by various fchemes 
of mining, draining, &c. In 1622 he was created a baro¬ 
net, and he died in the year 1631 ; fince which, the value of 
the fhares in this New River, as it is itill called, have ad¬ 
vanced fo much as to create large fortunes to the heirs of 
the original holders. A hundred-pounds (hare, fome 
years fince, fold,as high as fifteen thoufand pounds. Of 
late, however, there have been feveral acts of parliament 
pafied in favour of other water-companies, which have 
reduced the value of the New River fhares full one half. 
MID'DLETON (Conyers), a celebrated divine of 
the church of England, was born in the year 1683 
at Richmond in Yorkfhire, where his father was nri- 
nifter. At the grammar-fchool of that town he was edu¬ 
cated ; and from a very early period he gave fair promife 
of future excellence. At the age of feventeen he was fent 
to Trinity-college, Cambridge; and in 170a was chofen 
a fcholar upon the foundation, and took his degree of 
B. A. In a fhort time afterwards be entered into deacon’s 
orders, and officiated as curate to one of the fenior fellows 
of hri college, at Trumpington, a village near Cambridge. 
In 1706 he was eleCted fellow of his college, and in the 
following year he proceeded M. A. Soon after his elec¬ 
tion to the fellowfhip, he took an active part in the mea- 
LETO N\ 
fures which were concerting in oppofition to Dr. Bent¬ 
ley’s imperious conduit, as mafter of the college : and he 
united in a petition to the bifhop of Ely, which charged 
the doCtor with many misdemeanors. For his zeal in this 
bufinefs he was confidered by the doCtor as his moft de¬ 
termined and dangerous enemy. While this difcuffion 
was carrying on, Mr. Middleton married a lady of large 
fortune, and was obliged to vacate liis fellowfhip ; but he 
frill refided at Cambridge, till he was inducted to a living- 
in the Ifle of Ely. To this he removed ; but, finding the 
fituation unhealthy, he left it in about a year, and return¬ 
ed to Cambridge, where he was when George I. paid a 
vifit to the univerfity. On this occafion he got his name 
inferted, with thofe of feveral others, in the royal mandate 
lor the degree of doCtor of divinity, which he accordingly 
received from the hands of Dr. Bentley, the regius pro- 
feffor. Dr. Middleton on this occafion refilled the fees 
for the ceremony called creation, which led to a contro- 
verfy, that ran out to a confiderable extent, and which 
was carried on with great bitternefs. See Bent-Ley, 
vol. iii. p. 894. 
The addition made to the public library at Cambridge, 
by a prefent from the king of bifhop More’s books, which 
had been purcliafed at the expenfe of fix thoufand pounds, 
induced the univerfity to pals a decree for ereCting a new 
fenate-houfe, that a fuitable place might be provided for 
the reception of Iris majefty’s donation. This decree was 
accompanied with a vote for a new office in the univerfity, 
viz. that of principal librarian, which was conferred upon 
Dr. Middleton. Such a promotion was no more than 
what was jullly due to his literary merit. To fhow how 
well qualified he was for that appointment, he publifhed, 
in 1723, a little piece entitled “Bibliothecae Cantabrigi- 
enfis ordinandse Metliodus quaedam; quam Domino Pro-- 
cancellario Senatuique conliderandam et perficiendam. 
Officii et Pietatis ergo proponit.” Soon after the doCtor 
had completed the arrangement in the new library, his 
health requiring a change of climate, he applied for leave 
of abfence from the univerfity; and, having obtained a 
fpecial grace for that purpofe, though not without diffi¬ 
culty, lie fet out for the continent, in company with lord 
Coleraine, a nobleman of confiderable learning, who, upon 
their arrival at Paris, introduced him to the celebrated 
Montfaucon. Here Dr. Middleton feparated from his 
lordflrip, and travelled by the direCl route for Rome, 
where he arrived early in the year 1724. After refiding 
in this city about twelve months, Dr. Middleton return¬ 
ed through France to England, and arrived at Cambridge 
in the latter end of the year 1725. Almofl immediately 
after his return he publifhed a traCl, entitled “ De Medi- 
corum apud Romanos veteres degentium Conditione 
Diflertatio; qua contra Viros celeberrimos Jac. Sponium, 
et Ric. Meadium M.DD. fervilem atque ignobilem earn 
fuiffe oftenditur.” Dr. Mead had juft before this publifh¬ 
ed an oration, in which he had defended the dignity of 
the medical profeflion, and endeavoured to vindicate it 
from the reproach of its having been held in fuch low ef- 
timation by the ancient Romans, as to be left in the hands 
of (laves and the meaneft of the people. In defence of the 
opinion of the learned phyfician, a work was publifhed 
under the title of “Ad Viri Reverendi Con. Middletoni, 
S.T.P. de Medicorum apud Veteres Romanos degentium 
Conditione, See. Diflertationem Refponfio.” This was 
publifned without any author’s name; but it was foon 
found to be the production of profeffor Ward, who had 
been engaged by Dr. Mead to write it, and at his ex¬ 
penfe it was printed and publifhed. Dr. Middleton re¬ 
plied in a very fpirited defence both of his character and 
argument, entitled “ Dilfertationis de Medicorum Romae, 
See. Defenfio.” With this the doCtor finifhed his part of 
the debate ; and, through the whole progrefs of it, he did 
not fail on every occafion to exprefs a proper-regard for 
Dr. Mead’s real merit; nor did this literary altercation 
prevent them from living afterwards on very good term§ 
with each other. 
While 
