NEW 
writings to be deftroyed, excepting a feleX number of 
Sermons which he intended for the prefs. Thefe, with 
three or four others that had been publifhed in his life¬ 
time, were collected in an oXavo volume in 1784: he was 
author alfo of, z. A Scheme of Difcipline, &c. for Hart- 
hall. 3. Univerfity Education, or an Explication and 
Amendment of the Statute which prohibits the Ad midion 
of Scholars going from one Society to another, &c. 4. 
Pluralities Indefenfible, &c. and, after his death, his fuc- 
ceffor, Dr. Sharp, published, from his manufcripts, 5. 
The Characters of Theophraftus, with a ftriXly-literal 
Tranllation of the Greek into Latin, &c. with Notes. 
Bent. Map;, 1783, 1784. Ency. Brit. 
NEW'TON (Thomas), a learned Englifh prelate, was 
born at Lichfield in the year 1704. He received the firft 
part of his education in grammar-learning at the free- 
fchool of his native town, whence he was removed toWeft- 
minlter fchool in 1717, and was nominated a king’s fcho- 
lar. Having continued there fix years, he was eleXed to 
Trinity-college, Cambridge, where he refided eight 
months in every year, affiduoufly occupied in his ftudies 
till he had taken his degree of B.A. after which he ob¬ 
tained a fellowfhip of his college, and then came to fettle 
in London. He was obtained deacon in December 1729, 
and pried; in the following year by Dr. Gibfon, bilhop of 
London. For fome time he officiated as curate at St. 
George’s church, Hanover-fquare. His fird preferment 
was that of reader and afternoon-preacher at Grofvenor- 
chapel, in South-Audley-dreet; in which fituation he 
became acquainted with lord Carpenter, who took him 
into his family as tutor to his fon, who was afterwards 
created earl of Tyrconnel. In 1738 he was appointed 
morning-preacher at the chapel in Spring-gardens, which 
gave him an opportunity of becoming acquainted with 
feveral families of confequence, among which was that of 
Mr. Pulteney, and thus opened his way to preferment. 
When Mr. Pulteney was created earl of Bath, Mr. New¬ 
ton was appointed his fird chaplain ; and, through his 
lordffiip’s intered, in 1744, he was preferred to the reXory 
of St. Mary-le-Bow, in Cheapfide. Upon this promotion 
he quitted the chapel in Spring-gardens ; and his fellow- 
fhip at college became vacant. At the Commencement in 
J745 he was admitted to the degree of D. D. During the 
rebellion of this year he was didinguiffied by the zeal 
with which he defended the caufe of his king and coun¬ 
try in the pulpit; and he publifhed a fermon which he 
preached before the houfe of commons, and two others. 
In 1747 he was chofen leXurer of St. George’s, Hanover- 
fquare. In 1749 Dr. Newton publifhed, by fubfcription, 
his fplendid edition of Milton’s Paradife Loll, in 2 vols. 
4>to. accompanied with notes ; and he prefixed to it a life 
of the author, intending to include the fubdance of all 
the preceding lives of Milton, with improvements and 
additions. This was an extremely-popular work, and 
palled through eight impreffions during the life of the 
editor. After this Dr. Newton publifhed the Paradife 
Regained, and other poems of Milton, in the fame man¬ 
ner, with notes, the refult of the communications of per- 
fons of the greated eminence in the republic of letters. 
From thefe editions of Milton he gained more in a pecu¬ 
niary way than the author did from all his works toge¬ 
ther; but his greated gain, in his own edimation, was 
that which he acquired by their introducing him to the 
friendfiiip and intimacy of two fuch men as biffiop War- 
burton and Dr. Jortin. In 1751, Dr. Newton preached a 
fermon at St. George’s, Hanover-fquare, upon the occa- 
fibn of the death of the prince of Wales, which was the 
caufe of his being appointed one of the chaplains to her 
royal highnefs the princefs of Wales. In 1754 he lod his 
father, at the age of eighty-three, and within a few days 
he met with a dill more fevere affliXion in the death of 
his wife, at the early age of thirty-eight, with whom he 
had lived mod happily about feven years. This, he faid, 
was the fevered lofs he had ever met with, and it had nearly 
overwhelmed him. At this time he was fortunately en- 
Vql. XVII. No. 1159. 
TON. 37 
gaged in writing his “ Differtations on the Prophecies,” 
an employment which he found well calculated to draw 
him from himfelf, find thus alleviate his forrows. The 
fird volume of this work was publilhed in the following 
winter; but the others did not appear till about three 
years afterwards. In the mean time the author was ap¬ 
pointed to preach the leXure founded by Mr. Boyle. His 
Differtations were originally drawn up in the form of fer- 
mons, but were afterwards new-modelled, and confirmed 
by proper authorities. They met with a favourable re¬ 
ception both at home and abroad, have gone through a 
great number of impreffions, and have been tranfiated 
into feveral languages. In 1757, Dr. Newton was nomi¬ 
nated one of the chaplains in ordinary to his rnajedy, while 
he was permitted to retain his dation in the princefs of 
Wales’s houfehold, and foon afterwards he was made 
prebendary of Wedminder. This preferment was fpeedily 
followed by his appointment to the office of l’ub-almoner 
to the king, for which he was indebted to the unfolicited 
favour of Dr. Gilbert, archbifhop of York, who alfo gave 
him the precentordiip of his church. In 1761, he was 
nominated biffiop of Bridol, and canon-refidentiary of 
St. Paul’s, with a permiffion to hold his city-living in 
commendam. In 1764 he was thought of by miniders as 
a proper perfon to fill the vacant fee of London ; but the 
king had given that kind of promife for biffiop Terrick, 
during lord Bute’s adminidration, which he thought him¬ 
felf now obliged to fulfil. In the fame year he was preffed 
to accept the primateffiip of Ireland ; but, being turned 
of fixty years of age, he thought proper to decline the 
offer, thinking it w'as too late in life to change his coun¬ 
try, and to form an entirely-new fet of connexions, and 
the more fo as his health was very precarious. 
In 1768 he was made dean of St. Paul’s, when his am¬ 
bition was amply latisfied, and he immediately refigned 
the reXory of St. Mary-le-Bow. Scarcely had he taken 
pofieffion of his deanery-houfe when he was feized with a 
violent inflammation of the lungs, and fliortnefs of breath ; 
and though, contrary to general expeXation, he recovered 
his health in fome mealure, yet his naturally-delicate 
conflitution was fo ffiattered by the feverity of that at¬ 
tack, that he was liable to frequent returns of the fame 
complaints. Indeed, he was fcarcely ever able to go 
through a month’s refidence at St. Paul’s, without falling 
ill in the courle of it; and this happened fo frequently, 
that his medical friends were obliged to interdiX him 
from officiating any more in that cold church, and his 
majefty was pleafed to lay his injunXions upon him for 
the fame purpole. However, he fo far difcharged his 
duty, as to refide during the greater part of every year in 
his deanery-houfe, where he was at hand to give direc¬ 
tions, to correX irregularities, and to confult with the 
members of his church upon any neceflary occafion. 
Every fummer he went to Briftol, and fpent fome months 
in his diocefe, till the year 1776, wffien his growing in¬ 
firmities obliged him to relinquiffi that praXice. He now 
purchafed a houfe on Kew-green, for a fummer-retreat; 
and during the winter he confined himfelf entirely to his 
deanery-houfe, where his only exercife was walking in 
his rooms, which he did repeatedly in the intervals be¬ 
tween reading and writing. Company he never wanted, 
nor was ever at a lofs how to fill up his vacant time. Be- 
fides the relources which he had in himfelf, he pofleffed a 
never-failing fund of employment and entertainment in 
his books, prints, and piXures. Thefe were the only ex- 
penfive articles of his life ; and efpecially the latter, in 
which he indulged to fome kind of excels. As he was 
known to be fuch a lover of the fine arts, the Royal Aca¬ 
demy made an application to him, through their prefident, 
fir Jolhua F.eynolds, reprefenting, that the art of paint¬ 
ing, notwithflanding the prelent encouragement given to 
it in England, would never grow up to maturity and per- 
feXion, unlefs it could be introduced into churches as in 
foreign countries; that, to make a beginning, they offered 
their fervices to the dean and chapter, to decorate St. 
D Paul’s 
