NELSON 
Been effected by her converfation at Rome with cardinal 
Howard, (grandfon of the earl of Arundel, collector of 
the Arundelian marbles,) who had been raifed to that 
high dignity by pope Clement X. Lady Nelfon, having 
once avowed an adherence to the catholic faith, became a 
zealous advocate for the papal doCtrines, made a convert 
of her daughter by her former hulband, entered into 
the lifts of controverfy, and is fuppofed to have written a 
piece, publiflied in 1686, under the title of “A Difcourfe 
concerning a Judge of Controverfy in Matters of Reli¬ 
gion, (bowing the Neceftity of fucli a Judge.” Mr. Nelfon 
was filled with grief when he learnt of the dereliction of 
his lady from the principles of the proteftant faith, and 
made every effort in his power to reclaim her; but his at¬ 
tempts, as well as thole of his friends Tillotfon and 
Hickes, were unavailing. The former, however, wrote a 
long letter to her on the fubjeCt; and the latter, on her 
account, publiflied his collection of “-Letters,” which 
pafled between him and a popifh prieft in 1675. In this 
collection is a letter to an Englilh prieft of the Roman com¬ 
munion at Rome, w hich was written by Mr. Nelfon for his 
lady’s ufe. It was very fimilar to a-view w’hich he took 
of the fame fubjeCt in 1687, in a piece entitled “ Tran- 
fubftantiation contrary to Scripture ; or, the Proteftant’s 
Anfwer to the Seeker’s Requeft.” Lady Nelfon, not- 
withftanding all the pains taken to bring her back to the 
church ofEngland,continued in the popifh communion till 
her death. She was a perfon offine underftanding,and had 
cultivated her mental pow'ers with great care and fuccefs. 
Dr. Tillotfon not only lamented the lofsof this lady from 
his own church, but probably dreaded that the influence 
which file had over her hufband’s mind might wean him 
from the faith in which he had been educated. He, how¬ 
ever, continued fteady to his principles, though he tra¬ 
velled in foreign countries with his lady for the fake of 
her health, where the temptations to abandon the pro¬ 
teftant religion muff; have been much ftronger than they 
could have been at home. 
In 1691 Mr. Nelfon returned home, entirely diffatisfied 
with the revolution that had taken place in the govern¬ 
ment three years before, and with a determination not to 
transfer his allegiance from king James. To that prince 
he fhowed his fteady attachment while he refided at Flo¬ 
rence, by keeping up a correipondence with the earl of 
Melfort, ambaffador from the exiled James to the pope; 
and he now avowed himfelf a nonjuror, and withdrew 
from the communion of the church of England. His 
conduit in this particular did not difturb the friendfhip 
that fubfifted between him and archbilliop Tillotfon, 
whofe death-bed he feduloufly attended, arid who at 
length expired in his arms ; after that event he continued 
his kindnefs to his grace’s widow, and was very inftru- 
mental in procuring her penfion from the crown to be 
augmented from 400]. to 600I. per ann. As he now re¬ 
fided in or near the metropolis, a coincidence of opi¬ 
nions led him to form an acquaintance with Mr. Kettle- 
well, who appointed him foie executor and truftee to his 
laft will; and in purfuance of that truft Mr. Nelfon pub- 
liflied fome pofthumous pieces of that worthy divine, with 
particulars of his life and character; and it was by the 
perfuafion of this gentleman that he took up his pen in 
the fervice of piety and devotion, under the idea that 
books upon fucli fubjeCts, when coming from a.layman, 
would meet with a more favourable reception, and be 
likely to be more extenfively ufeful, than fimilar produc¬ 
tions from a clerical hand. 
While he was proceeding with thefe works, he zealoufly 
contributed, both by his perfonal recommendations and 
liberal fubfcriptions, to the encouragement of various 
fchemes for promoting the Chriftian religion, as it is pro- 
feffed in the church of England, at home and abroad ; 
fuch as the Society for the Propagation of the Gofpel in 
Foreign Parts ; that for the Reformation of Manners at 
home; together with feveral propofals for building, re¬ 
pairing, and endowing, churches, and particularly charity- 
Vol. XVI. No. 1147. 
697 
fchools. Hitherto he had adhered to the communion of 
the bifhops deprived after the revolution ; but, upon the 
death of Dr. Lloyd, biftiop of Norwich, in the year 1709, 
who was the laft of that number, excepting Dr. Kenn, he 
joined in communion with the church,as eftabliftied by 
law. From this time Mr. Nelfon’s health declined very 
rapidly. He had long been afflicted with an afthmatic com¬ 
plaint and dropfy in the bread, which his extraordinary 
application in writing contributed to increafe in an alarm¬ 
ing degree. At length, retiring to the houfe of a relation 
at Kenfington for the benefit of the air, he died there 
in January 1714-15, in the fifty-ninth year of his age. 
He left his whole fortune to pious and charitable ufes, to 
which indeed he had devoted a great part of his income 
during his life. 
Mr. Nelfon’s principal works are—1. A Companion for 
the Feftivals and Falls of the Church of England, &c. 
1704, which has been exceedingly popular, and has pafled 
through twenty or thirty editions. 2. The great Duty of 
frequenting the Chriftian Sacrifice, 1707. 3. The Prac¬ 
tice of true Devotion, in relation to the End as well as 
the Means of Religion, with an Office for the Holy Com¬ 
munion, 1708. 4. The Life of Dr. George Bull, bilhop 
of St. David’s, with the Hiftory of the Controverfies in 
which he was engaged, &c. 17x3. 5. The Scripture Doc¬ 
trine of the moft holy and undivided Trinity, vindicated 
from the Mifreprefentations of Dr. Clarke, 1714. 6. An 
Addrefs to Perfons of Quality and Eftate, See. 1715. 7. 
The whole Duty of a Chriftian, by Way of Queftion and 
Anfwer, defigned for the ufe of the charity-fchools in 
and about London. 8. Letters written to himfelf, which 
(how how much he was known and efteemed by exalted 
characters and men of diftinguiftied worth, both in his 
own country and in foreign parts. In Nichols’s Anec¬ 
dotes of Bowyer, fome of his own letters are inferted, 
which are highly charaCteriftic of his benevolence. Gen. 
Biog. 
NEL'SON (James), an apothecary in Red Lion Street. 
Holborn, where he refided upwards of half a century. 
In 1753 he publiflied an excellent treatife On the Govern¬ 
ment of Children, under the Heads of Health, Manners, 
and Education, 8vo. He died April 19, 1794, aged 84 
years. He was alfo author of The Affectionate Father, 
a fentimental comedy, 8vo. 1786. 
NEL'SON (Horatio, Vifcount), one of the braveft and 
moft fuccefsful naval commanders in the Britiffi annals, 
was fifth fon of the reverend Edmund Nelfon, of a family 
long fettled at Hilborough in the county of Norfolk, and 
reCtor of Burnham-Thorpe in the fame county. Horatio 
was born September 29, 1758, at his father’s parfonage- 
lioufe. His grammatical education, which he received at 
the public fchools of Norwich and North Waltham, was 
cut fliort in his twelfth year, by a fummons from his ma¬ 
ternal uncle, captain Suckling, to go on-board his (hip, 
the Raifonable of 64 guns, in quality of a midffiipman. 
This veffel was among the equipments in confequence of 
the difpute with Spain refpeCting the Falkland iflands; 
and its fpeedy termination foon returned the young failor 
to (hore. He had, however, in this (hort period, imbibed 
a decided predilection for a nautical life ; in confequence 
of which, his uncle placed him immediately with the cap¬ 
tain of a Weft Indiaman who was going to fea. With 
him Horatio made his firft voyage, from which he re¬ 
turned in 1772, with the acquifition of no (mail (hare of 
profeflional knowledge. Soon after his return, captain 
Suckling took him on-board his (hip, the Triumph, then 
lying at Chatham, in which fituation his chief employ¬ 
ment was navigating the cutter in the channel of the 
Thames. The expedition planned in 1773 for the pur- 
pofe of penetrating as far as poffible towards the north 
pole, operated fo forcibly upon the enterprifing fpirit of 
the young failor, that he uied all his influence with cap¬ 
tain Lutwidge, one of the commanders, to be appointed 
his coxfwain. His application was fuccefsful, and he 
failed in the fummer of that year with the expedition. 
S P Its 
