woo 
generally influenced by the humane and Christian views of 
Woolman Benezet and others on this subject. It was en¬ 
titled “ Some Considerations on the keeping of Negroes;” and 
in 1762 was followed by a “ Second Part,” the expense of 
which he preferred to take upon himself, for a reason which 
evinces his strict regard to justice. He considered that many, 
who did not yet see the evil of the practice, nor approve of 
his writings against it, were contributors to the general fund 
of the society, out of which the cause was proposed to be de¬ 
frayed. 
Some other reflections, written in 1757, while he was on a 
journey among slave-holders, and recorded in his “ Memoir,” 
are forcibly descriptive of his views and feelings. 
The necessary brevity of this article will permit only a 
general account of John Woolman’s labours in the cause of 
humanity. From private conferences with the holders of 
slaves, he proceeded to public addresses to the society in their 
meetings for discipline: and when at length the principle of 
the unlawfulness to Christians of this degrading practice had 
been generally recognized among them, he united other 
members with himself in paying visits to such of the society, 
within his sphere of action, as required the stimulus of remon¬ 
strances to induce them to comply with the sense of their 
brethren on this subject. These proceedings were prosecuted 
through several journies; in which at one time the religious 
welfare in a more general sense, at another the right conduct 
in this particular of his fellow-members, engaged his attention. 
He did not live to see the completion of his wish as it related 
to the society; for it was not till the year 1787 that the last 
slave disappeared from among them. But the near approach 
of this consummation was witnessed by his coadjutor, An¬ 
thony Benezet, who died in J784, whose fame has spread 
wider than Woolman’s, because his opportunities were more 
extensive, who lived for the cause throughout Europe, and 
carried its successful plea from the narrow limits of the society 
of Friends into the world at large. Of this excellent man, 
whose biography escaped the early part of this work, it may 
not be too late here to record in brief,—that he was born at 
St. Quintin, in Picardy, of a respectable family, in 1713; 
that he was carried by his father, who fled from the perse¬ 
cutions which fell upon the Huguenots, to London, and there 
formed for mercantile pursuits; that upon removing to Phila¬ 
delphia with his family in 1731, having now entered into the 
society of Friends, he devoted his life, upon principle, first to 
the education of youth in useful knowledge and the Christian 
faith, and ultimately to the noblest toils of humanity. But to 
return to our present subject: in the year 1772, John Wool- 
man, believing it his duty to pay a religious visit to the friends 
in England, embarked for that purpose at Chester, on the 
Delaware, and arrived at London in time to attend their 
yearly meeting. After it he travelled, exercising his ministry 
among his friends, through several counties, as far as York. 
Here, at a large quarterly meeting, he once more pleaded for 
the negroes, endeavouring, and probably with effect, to en¬ 
gage the support, of those present to the cause of humanity: 
soon after which he was seized with the small-pox. During 
a severe struggle with this disease, he manifested great pa¬ 
tience and humility, with a firm faith in the Redeemer : and 
nature sinking in the conflict, he expired in peace in his 52d 
year.— Memoir of John Woolman, chiefly extracted from 
a Journal of his Life and Writings, London, 1815. 
WOO'LPACK, or Woo'lsack, s . A bag of wool; a 
bundle of wool.—As woolpaclcs quash the leaden ball. Shen- 
stone. —The seat of the judges in the house of lords. 
At bar abusive, on the bench unable. 
Knave on the -woolsack, fop at council table. Dri/den. 
Any thing bulky without weight. 
Chaos of presbyt’ry, where laymen guide 
With the tame woolpack- clergy by their side. Cleavcland. 
WOOLPIT, a village and parish of England, in the coun¬ 
ty of Suffolk, situated on the road between Bury and Ip¬ 
swich. It was formerly a market town, and has a horse fair, 
which lasts a week, from the 16th of September. The 
church is a handsome Gothic structure, but has a mean spire; 
WOO 731 
8 miles east of Bury, and 79 north-east of London. Popu¬ 
lation 696. 
WOOLSINGTON, a township of England, in Northum¬ 
berland ; 6 miles north-north-west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 
WOOLSTANTON, a parish of England, in Staffordshire; 
1 mile from Newcastle. Population 848. 
WOOLSTASTON, a parish of England, in Salop; 10j 
miles south-south-west of Shrewsbury. 
WOOLSTHORPE, a parish of England, in Lincolnshire; 
6 miles west-by-south of Grantham. It is famous for being 
the birth-place of sir Isaac Newton. Population 456. 
WOOLSTON (Thomas), an English divine, was born in 
1669, at Northampton, and admitted in 1685 of Sidney col¬ 
lege, Cambridge, where he was distinguished by his dili¬ 
gence and regularity. He was elected fellow of his college, 
took orders, preached with approbation, and was esteemed 
for his learning and piety. In his exercises for the degree of 
B. D. he maintained the exact fitness of the time in which 
Christ was manifested in the flesh,” in a discourse which was 
well received. But his temper being naturally enthusiastic, 
and perusing the works of Origen, he indulged a great fond¬ 
ness for allegorical interpretations of scripture, which after¬ 
wards led him into a variety of singular and extravagant 
opinions. He began in 1705 with “ The Old Apology for 
the Truth of the Christian Religion against the Jews and 
Gentiles revived,” maintaining that all the actions of Moses 
were typical of Christ, and of his church ; and the book was 
issued from the university press. Woolston remained in col¬ 
lege till the year 1720, when he went to London, and pub¬ 
lished a Latin dissertation concerning the supposed epistle of 
Pontius Pilate to Tiberius, relative to Jesus Christ. In the 
same year he also published two Latin epistles, addressed to 
Whitby, Waterland, Whiston, and others: “Circa Fidem 
vere Orthodoxam et Scripturarum Interpretationem,” defen¬ 
ding Origen’s allegorical interpretation of Scripture. His de¬ 
viation from the established faith was more apparent in his 
inquiry, “ Whether the people called Quakers do not the 
nearest of any other sect in religion resemble the primitive 
Christians in principles and practice ?” Blending sarcasm 
with argument, he now seemed to indulge a spirit of animo¬ 
sity against the clergy. Declining at the same time to reside 
at college, he was deprived of his fellowship in 1721. In his 
“ Four Free Gifts to the Clergy,” he denominated them 
“ hireling priests,” and “ ministers of the letter.” Although 
he might be suspected, he was not yet chargeable with histo¬ 
rical incredulity; for in 1726 he published “A Defence of 
the Miracle of the Thundering Legion against Mr. Moyle.” 
At length he engaged in the controversy between Anthony 
Collins and his opponents, and published “ The Moderator 
between an Infidel and an Apostate,” and “ Two Supple¬ 
ments,” in which he not only contended for mystical inter¬ 
pretations of the miracles of Christ, but maintained that they 
were never actually wrought. Considered as an avowed 
enemy to the Christian religion, a prosecution was instituted 
against him by the attorney-general, but stayed by the inter¬ 
position of Whiston, and some other advocates of toleration. 
Notwithstanding this lenity, he proceeded in publishing “ Six 
Discourses on the Miracles,” and two “ Defences of the Dis¬ 
courses,” in which, blending ridicule and buffoonery with 
argument, he maintained his offensive opinions. This per¬ 
tinacity and rudeness prejudiced believers in the divine mis¬ 
sion of Christ against him ; replies issued from the press ; but 
as he again became amenable to the law, he was tried at 
Guildhall before lord chief justice Raymond, when, after 
many arguments for and against him, he was found guilty, 
and sentenced to a year’s imprisonment, and a fine of 100/. 
Unable to pay his fine, he resided within the rules of the 
King’s Bench, and subsisted by an annual allowance granted 
to him by his brother, and the contributions of some learned 
and liberal friends, who vindicated his intentions, whilst they 
disapproved his enthusiasm and fanaticism. Among these 
were some, and particularly Dr. S. Clarke, who condemned 
every species or semblance of religious persecution, and who 
endeavoured to procure his release; but they could not pre¬ 
vail upon him to stipulate that he would not persevere in 
publishing 
