407

210

 

things; degrading Providence to every low and vulgar occasion of life; crying out that he is fuffeted by Satan, if only bit by fleas, and, when able to catch them, triumphing with texts of Scripture over the blessing specially vouchsafed?' - all which is witty and contains much wisdom, but can hardly be considered as in much better taste than much of Whitefield's own talk. Dr. Johnson disliked him and feared him, but had to acknowledge 'the dog was so very comical that he was irresistible'. After a career of success in art and failure through wild extravagance - he spent three fortunes - Foote d. in 1777 at Dover, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. His bona mots were numerous, but the best of them to our mind is his answer to the wealthy man who served out in small glasses wine of which he boasted the age and quality. Asked for his opinion of the liquor Foote said, 'My lord, isit not very little, for its age?' On his moral character, it is perhaps sufficient to say that his friends were not agreed whether there was or was not a Mrs. Foote, and assigned different names to the lady. For a note on some play-bills with Foote's name found at Launceston see Jrnl. R.I.C., vol. v, p. 148.

 

ROBERT WERE FOX, F.R.S., was b. at Falmouth, 1789. He was a frequent contributer to the Journal of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnoc Society, and to numerous other journals. Among his discoveries was the dipping needle used by Sir james C. Ross and Capt. Nares. He was father of the celebrated Miss Caroline Fox, of Penjerrick, and of Charles Fox, a founder of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society. He d. 1877.

 

DAVIES GILBERT was b. at St. Erth in 1767. His name was originally Giddy, but in 1817 he assumed his wife's name of Gilbert, having obtained by the marriage a large estate in Sussex. He was educated at Penzance and Pembroke College, Oxford. In 1832 he received the degree of D.C.L. He was high sheriff of Cornwall, 1792-3; M.P. for Helston 1804, for Bodmin 1806-32. From 1827-30 he was president of the Royal Society. His principal literary efforts were the 'Parochial History of Cornwall' in 1838, his edition of Christmas Carols, and of the two Cornish plays Pascon Agan Arluth and Gwreans an Bys, which he called respectively 'Mount Calvary' and 'The Creation of the World'.

They are probably as bad specimens of editing as can be found. Gilbert's title to fame rests not on his historical and literary achievements but on the ready and generous way in which he placed his scientific knowledge, time and money at the servic of men like Sir Humphry Davy, and others. He d. in 1839

 

GIRARD OF CORNWALL (Girardus Cornubiensis), fl. 1350 (?), author of 'De gestis Britomum' and 'De gestis Regum West-Saxonum' (Dict. Nat. Biog., but see Wright's Biog. Brit. Lit., where his very existence is doubted).

 

GODFREY OF CORNWALL, who was alive in 1320, is said to have been born at St. Stephens in

Brunnel. He was educated at Oxford and Paris, at which latter place he became reader in divinity. He joined the Carmelites, and wrote in defence of that order. William of Cornwall, abbot of Newenham in 1272, is believed to have been his brother.

 

WM. DE GRENEFILD (or Grenville), son of Sir Theobald Grenville of Stowe was dean of Chichester and chancellor of England when elected archbishop of York in Dec., 1304. Although he at

once left for Rome with letters com-