WOTTON, Sir Ηενrυ, an eminent writer, was the son of Thomas Wotton, Esq., and was born on the 30th of March 1568. He studied for some time at New College, Oxford, whence he removed to Queen’s College, where he made a great progress in logic and philosophy; and wrote a tragedy for the use of that college, called Tancredo. According to Walton, he proceeded A. M. After leaving the university, he travelled into France, Germany, and Italy; and having spent about nine years abroad, he returned to England, and became secretary to Robert earl of Essex, with whom he continued till that earl was apprehended for high treason. He then retired to Florence, where he became known to the grand duke of Tuscany, who sent him privately with letters to James VI. king of Scotland, under the name of Octaviο Baldi, to inform that king of a design against his life. Some months after he went back to Florence; but King James coming to the possession of the crown of England, Wotton returned home, was knighted by his majesty, and sent ambassador to the republic of Venice, and afterwards was employed in many other embassies to that and other courts; but the only reward he obtained for these services was his having the provostship of Eton College conferred upon him in the year 1623. He was ordained deacon, as the office could not be regularly held by a layman. He died in December 1639. After his decease, some of his manuscripts and printed tracts were published together in a volume, entitled Reliquiae Wottonianae; but he was the author of various works which are not included in this collection. His life by Isaac Walton is well known to the learned.

Wotton , William, a learned divine and writer, was the son of Henry Wotton, B. D., rector of Wrentham in Suffolk, where he was born on the 13th of August 1666. He was educated by his father, a gentleman well skilled in the learned languages, under whom he made such amazing proficiency, that at five years of age it is said he could render several chapters of the gospels out of Latin and Greek, and many psalms in Hebrew, into his mother tongue. When he was very young he remembered the whole of almost every discourse he had heard, and often surprised a preacher by repeating his sermon to him. He was admitted into Catharine Hall in Cambridge some months before he was ten years old; when the progress he made in learning in that university engaged Dr Duport, then master of Magdalen College, and dean of Peterborough, to write an elegant copy of Latin verses in his praise. In 1679 he took the degree of A. B. when he was but twelve years and five months old; and the winter following he was invited to London by Dr Burnet, then preacher at the Rolls, who introduced him to most of the learned men in that city, and particularly to Dr Lloyd, bishop of St Asaph, to whom he recommended himself by repeating to him one of his sermons, as Dr Burnet had engaged he should. In 1691 he commenced B. D. The same year Bishop Lloyd gave him the sinecure of Llandrillo, in Denbighshire. He was afterwards made chaplain to the earl of Nottingham, then secre∙
[7:21:943]

tary of state, who presented him to the rectory of Middleton Keynes, in Bucks, and to whom he dedicated his “Reflections upon Ancient and Modern Learning.” Lond. 1694, 8vo. In 1705, Bishop Burnet gave him a prebend in the church of Salisbury; and in 1707, Archbishop Teni-son conferred upon him the degree of D. D. In 1714, the difficulties under which he laboured with respect to his private fortune obliged him to retire into South Wales, where he was treated with great kindness and humanity by the gentlemen of that country. He then wrote the “Memoirs of the Cathedral Churches of St David’s and Llandaff,” and his “Miscellaneous Discourses relating to the Traditions and Usages of the Scribes and Pharisees which were afterwards printed. He died on the 13th of February 1726. Dr Wotton was remarkable for his humanity and friendliness of temper; the narrowness of a party spirit never broke in upon any of his friendships; and his time and abilities were at the service of any person who was making advances in real learning. He wrote, besides the above works, 1. A History of Rome; 2. A Defence of his Reflections upon Ancient and Modem Learning; 3. A Discourse concerning the Languages of Babel; 4. Advice to a Young Student, with a Method of Study for the first four Years; and other learned pieces.