FOWLER (JOHN), a celebrated English printer, was born at Bristol, educated at Winchester school, and admitted fellow of New college, in Oxford, in 1555, after two years of probation, where also he took his master's degree. But refusing to comply with the terms of protestant conformity in queen Elizabeth's reign, he resigned his fellowship, after holding it about four years, and, leaving England, took upon him the trade of printing, which he exercised partly at Antwerp, and partly at Louvain; and thus did signal service to the papists, in printing their books against the protestant writers. Wood says that he was well skilled in Greek and Latin, a tolerable poet and orator, a theologist not to be contemned; and so versed also in criticism and other polite literature, that he might have passed for another Robert or Henry Stephens. He reduced into a compendium the "Summa Theologiæ" of Thomas Aquinas, under the title of " Loca Communia Theologica," and wrote " Additiones in Chronica Genebrandi ;" a❝ Psalter for Catholics," which was answered by Sampson Dean, of Christ-church, Oxford, 1578; also epigrams, and other verses. He also translated from Latin into English," The Epistle of Osorius," and "The Oration of Pet, Frarin, of Antwerp, against the unlawful insurrection of the protestants, under pretence to reform religion," Antwerp, 1566. This was answered by William Fulke, divinity-professor in Cambridge. Fowler died at Newmark, in Germany, Feb. 13, 1579.1

FOWLER (THOMAS), an English physician, was born at York, Jan. 22, 1736, and, after having gone through a course of classical and medical education, set up as an apothecary in his native city, in 1760. In 1774, however, he relinquished this branch of practice, in order to apply himself more closely to the study of medical science; and for this purpose he went to Edinburgh, where he graduated in 1778. He then settled at Stafford, and was soon after elected physician to the infirmary at that place, where he practised with considerable reputation and success until 1791, when he returned to York. Here he met with the most flattering encouragement; but his ardent attention to his professional duties and studies was considerably in terrupted in July 1793, by an attack of a painful anomalous disease of the chest, which he described as "fits of spasmodic asthma, attended with most of the painful

▲ Ath. Ox. vol. I.-Fuller's Worthies.-Dodd's Church Hist. vol. I.

symptoms of the angina pectoris." After consulting many eminent physicians, and trying a variety of medicines, with partial and transient relief, for two years, he was agreeably surprised by a spontaneous and gradual decline of the symptoms, and was at length totally free from them. Notwithstanding the check to his exertions which he received from this complaint, his professional emoluments and reputation continued to increase; and in 1796 he was appointed, without solicitation, and even without his knowledge, physician to the lunatic asylum, near York, called the "Retreat," established by the society of quakers, for the relief of the insane members of their community. He was a member of the medical societies of Edinburgh, of the medical society of London, and of the Bristol medical society. Dr. Fowler continued his useful 'career, active in every duty that benevolence could dictate, or friendship demand, and, in the exercise of his profession, an example of generosity, unwearied diligence and humanity, until 1801, when he died, on July 220, while upon a visit to some friends in London.

In the course of his studies and practice, he exemplified the method recommended by lord Bacon for the improvement of medicine, perhaps more than any of his predecessors or contemporaries; and some idea of his indefatigable labours may be conceived, when we mention that he left in manuscript the history of more than six thousand cases, which fell under his own inspection and treatment. From this store of experimental knowledge he published several works. The first of these was entitled "Medical Reports on the effects of Tobacco," which was published in 1785; and in the year following his second treatise appeared, under the title of "Medical Reports on the Effects of Arsenic." Both works tended in a considerable degree to instruct the profession in the means of rendering these medicines safe and manageable, and accordingly they are now, especially the latter, in daily and familiar use, and rank among the valuable articles of the materia medica. In 1795 he dedicated to the medical professors of Edinburgh a volume of "Medical Reports on the acute and chronic Rheumatism," and was the author of several papers printed in different volumes of the Medical Commentaries, and Annals of Medicine, edited by Drs. Dun can of Edinburgh.

1 Rees's Cyclopædia.

· FOX (EDWARD), an eminent statesman, almoner to Henry VIII. and bishop of Hereford, was born at Dursley, in Gloucestershire; but it is not mentioned in what year. After passing through Eton school he was admitted of King's college in Cambridge, 1512, where he was elected provost in 1528, and continued in that office till his death. Being recommended to cardinal Wolsey as a man of an acute spirit and political turn, he was taken into his service; and, according to Lloyd, was the person who encouraged the cardinal to aspire to the papacy. In 1528 he was sent ambassador to Rome, jointly with Stephen Gardiner, afterwards bishop of Winchester, in order to obtain bulls from Clement VII. for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Arragon. He was then almoner to the king; and reputed, as Burnet says, one of the best divines in England. He was afterwards employed in embassies both in France and Germany; during which, as he was one day discoursing upon terms of peace, he said, "honourable ones last long, but the dishonourable, no longer than till kings have power to break them: the surest way, therefore, to peace, is a constant preparedness for war."-Two things, he would say, must support a government, "gold and iron: gold, to reward its friends; and iron, to keep under its enemies." It was to him that Cranmer owed his first introduction to court, with all its important results.

In 1530 he was employed with Stephen Gardiner at Cambridge, to obtain the university's determination in the matter of Henry VIII.'s divorce. In 1531 he was promoted to the archdeaconry of Leicester, and in 1533 to that of Dorset. It was he that apprized the clergy of their having fallen into a pramunire, and advised them to make their submission to the king, by acknowledging him supreme head of the church, and making him a present of 100,000l. In 1535 he was promoted to the bishopric of Hereford. He was the principal pillar of the reformation, as to the politic and prudential part of it; being of more activity, and no less ability, than Cranmer himself: but he acted more secretly than Cranmer, and therefore did not bring himself into danger of suffering on that account. A few months after his consecration he was sent ambassador to the protestant princes in Germany, then assembled at Smalcald; whom he exhorted to unite, in point of doctrine, with the church of England. He spent the winter at Wirtemberg, and held several conferences with some of

the German divinės, endeavouring to conclude a treaty with them upon many articles of religion: but nothing was effected. Burnet has given a particular account of this negociation in his "History of the Reformation." He returned to England in 1536, and died at London, May 8, 1538. He was a very learned man, as we are assured by Godwin, who calls him "vir egregiè doctus." Wood also styles him an eminent scholar of his time; and Lloyd represents him as a fine preacher, but adds, that "his inclination to politics brake through all the ignoble restraints of pedantique studies, to an eminency, more by observation and travel, than by reading and study, that made him the wonder of the university, and the darling of the court. "When he was called," says he, "to the pulpit or chair, he came off not ill, so prudential were his parts in divinity; when advanced to any office of trust in the university, he came off very well, so incomparable were his parts for government.

Active as was his life, he found some time to write. He published a book, "De vera differentia Regiæ Potestatis et Ecclesiasticæ, et quæ sit ipsa veritas et virtus utriusque," 1534, and 1538. It was translated into English by Henry lord Stafford. He also wrote annotations upon Mantuan, the poet. There is likewise an oration of his extant, in the story of Thomas lord Cromwell, in the se cond volume of Fox's "History of the Acts and Monuments of the Church;" and a letter from him and Gar diner about their proceedings at Cambridge, when they were sent in 1530 to obtain that university's determination concerning the king's marriage and divorce, in the collection of records at the end of Burnet's first volume of the "History of the Reformation." 1

FOX (FRANCIS), an English clergyman, of whose early history we have no account, was educated at Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he took his master's degree, July 5, 1704 He afterwards became vicar of Pottern, in Wiltshire, prebendary of that prebend in the church of Salisbury, and chaplain to lord Cadogan. In 1722 he published "The New Testament explained," 2 vols. 8vo. This work has the several references placed under the text in words at length, so that the parallel passages may be seen at one view; to

1 Biog. Brit. Lloyd's State Worthies.-Strype's Cranmer, p. 4, 5, 37, 51, 33, 70.-Dodd's Church Hist. vol. I.

i

which are added, the chronology, the marginal readings, and notes on difficult or mistaken texts, with many more references than in any other edition then published, of the English New Testament. He likewise wrote "The duty! of Public Worship proved, to which are added directions for a devout behaviour therein, drawn chiefly, from the holy scriptures and the liturgy of the church of England; and an account of the method of the Common Prayer, by way of question and answer." The fourth edition of this was printed in 1727, and it is now in the list of books dise tributed by the society for promoting Christian knowledge. In 1726 he was presented to the vicarage of St. Mary's, Reading. Having preached a sermon on moral obligations, from Matt. xxiii. 23, at the Reading lecture, he afterwards preached it as an assize sermon, at Abingdon, July 18, 1727. It was then printed, and dedicated to the chancellor. Some expressions in the discourse being liable to an unfavourable interpretation, it gave offence to several members of the lecture, and produced a controversy between the author and Mr. Joseph Slade, who had been curate of St. Mary's, was then lecturer of St. Lawrence's, and afterwards vicar of South Molton. Mr. Slade pub lished the letters which had passed between himself and the author; and preached a lecture sermon on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 1727, containing several severe strictures on Mr. Fox's sermon, and some personal reflections, which he published. To this a reply was made by Lancelot Carle→ ton, rector of Padworth, in "A Letter to the rev. Joseph Slade, &c." printed at Reading. Mr. Fox published also a few other occasional sermons, He died at Reading in 1738, and was buried in St. Mary's church. '

FOX (GEORGE), founder of the society of quakers, was born at Drayton, in Leicestershire, in 1624. His father was a weaver, who seems to have taken great pains in educating his son in the principles of piety and virtue. He was, at a proper age, apprenticed to a dealer in wool, and grazier, and being also employed in keeping sheep, he had many opportunities for contemplation and reflec tion. When he was about nineteen years of age he ex+ perienced much trouble and anxiety on observing the intemperance of some persons, professing to be religious, with whom he had gone to an inn for refreshment; and on Coates's Hist, of Reading.

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