W. W. Wynne; was made rector of Easton-Maudit in 1778, and soon after of Doddington—both in Northamptonshire; in 1787 chaplain to the duke of York; in 1788 assistant preacher at Lincoln's inn; in 1795 assistant librarian to the British museum, and soon after MS. librarian; in 1799 canon of Lichfield, and in 1800 archdeacon of Carlisle. Other promotions awaited him, and he died in honour, March 23rd, 1829. He prepared vol. iii. of the catalogue of Harleian MSS.; published sermons; a glossary, or collection of words, phrases, &c., in works of old English authors; founded and conducted the British Critic, in union with his friend Beloe; aided Brydges in his History of Northamptonshire; took part in the new edition of the General Biographical Dictionary; wrote some poems, and many other compositions. He excelled as a scholar, critic, and writer, and was a very estimable character.—B. H. C.
NARSES, the rival of Belisarius. This famous general was born in the latter part of the fifth century after Christ. He was of foreign descent—according to some a Persarmenian—was early in life made a slave and a eunuch, and brought to Constantinople. Here he was employed in the imperial household, in which he gradually rose to be chamberlain. Subsequently, as his talents became known, Justinian appointed him treasurer, and even chose him as his ambassador on various occasions. In 538 he was sent in command of an army to reinforce Belisarius in Italy, but with secret orders to thwart that great commander in his enterprises. Narses only too well obeyed these instructions, which led to the disastrous capture of Milan, then the second city in Italy, by the Franks. In the following year he was recalled to Constantinople, and we hear little more of him till 552, when he was selected by Justinian for the command of a new expedition to the relief of Italy. He proceeded by sea from Salona at the head of a great armament to the north-east comer of the Adriatic. Here he landed the troops, and cautiously advanced, while the fleet moved slowly along the shore and assisted in removing the numerous obstacles to his march. Thus he succeeded in reaching Ravenna, unmolested by the Gothic army which was watching his movements. A great battle was soon fought by Narses in Lombardy, in which the Goths were routed and their king, Totila, slain. Rome was retaken, and in 553 Teias, the successor of Totila, lost his life in a decisive battle near Naples. The Goths now submitted to the imperial government; but a new invasion of the Alemanni again desolated Italy. They were, however, subdued by Narses, and Italy once more became a province of the Roman empire. Narses was appointed its governor, and administered that high office with eminent ability and success, though not without avarice and oppression, until the death of Justinian in 565. Justin, the new emperor, dismissed Narses from his government, and the latter, to obtain his revenge, invited the Lombards, a savage nation then dwelling on the banks of the Danube, to invade Italy. They listened to his offers, and poured over the passes of the Julian Alps, but at this critical juncture Narses died, at the age, as is said, of ninety-five years. His talents both for war and government seem to have been of the highest order, and while equal to his great rival Belisarius as a general, he was far superior to him as a statesman. His supposed betrayal of Italy to the Lombards is a dark stain on his memory; but that transaction is very imperfectly known to us, and may have been untruly represented.—G.
NARUSZEVICZ, Adam Stanislaus, the historian of Poland and no mean poet, was born in 1733, and was educated by the jesuits. After travelling in various parts of the continent he was appointed professor of poetry at Wilna, which office he subsequently resigned for the more important chair at Warsaw. He was well befriended by King Stanislaus Augustus, whom he accompanied in 1786 to Kaniou, where a meeting with the Czarina Catharine II. took place. Of this journey Naruszevicz published an account. His learned "History of Poland" embraces only the reigns of the Piast family. The first volume, containing the early history of the country, never appeared. He translated Tacitus, Horace, and Anacreon into Polish, wrote a description of Taurida, and a life of the General Charles Chodkieviez. He died bishop of Lukof in 1796.—R. H.
NARVAEZ, Ramon Maria, Duke of Valencia, a Spanish politician, born 4th August, 1800. He became an officer in the royal guard, and in 1822, when the constitutional régime was threatened by Carlist insurrection, he embraced the liberal side, and served under Mina against the Carlists. In 1836 he served against the Carlists under Espartero. His brilliant campaign against the Carlist general Gomez, and his successful pacification of La Mancha, gained for him a popularity which resulted in his being appointed captain-general of Old Castile, and placed at the head of an army of reserve. But after the accession of Espartero to the regency, Narvaez headed an insurrection at Seville, with a view to his overthrow, November, 1838. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Narvaez escaped to France, where he was soon joined (1840) by the queen-mother, of whose cause he now became the principal supporter. In 1842-43 Narvaez headed the insurrection which led to the fall of the regent. He landed at Valencia, beat Seoane at Torrejon de Ardoz, 23rd July, 1843, and marched upon Madrid. In May, 1844, he was created Duke of Valencia, and appointed president of the council. He recalled the queen-mother, and modified the constitution of 1837 in an anti-popular sense. His policy was in every sense reactionary, tending to limit both the electoral power of the people and the freedom of the press. A palace intrigue, aiding the opposition of the liberal party, led to his resignation, 10th February, 1846. He was for a short time ambassador in Paris, but was called to form a new cabinet, November, 1847, which was of short duration. In October, 1849, he again came into power; and after his retirement in 1851 was ambassador at Vienna. The revolution of 1854 being, in the first place, a liberal movement, Narvaez had no part in it, but the counter-revolution of 1856 raised him once more to the position of president of the council, without portfolio. But a combination of intrigues led to the retirement of his whole cabinet, November, 1857. From that time, though understood to be actively engaged in politics, he occupied no public position. He died on the 23rd of April, 1868.—F. M. W.
NASH, John, a celebrated architect, was the son of an engineer, and was born in London in 1752. He was articled when very young to Sir Robert Taylor, then in extensive practice as an architect, but seems to have been chiefly employed in the surveying branch of the business; and accordingly when he commenced business on his own account, it was as a surveyor and builder. Having been successful in building speculations, he retired early to Carmarthen, where, on speculations of a different kind, he soon lost what he had previously acquired, and he, in 1792, returned to the metropolis and to the practice of his profession. He speedily obtained a large and lucrative connection, both as a land agent and architect; his employment in the latter line consisting to a great extent in the erection of country mansions. These were often of a costly but mostly of a monotonous character, classic in style, with an Ionic portico entrance; or "castellated," presenting a curious admixture of heavy feudal towers and machicolations with open windows and undefended doorways. Nash's master-work was Regent Street, the first, and to the present day the most important attempt, to lay out a great metropolitan thoroughfare on a large and consistent plan, and to line it with a range of buildings of an imposing architectural character. As regards the general direction and proportions of the street, Nash effected all that was possible; but with respect to the buildings he was less successful. As works of art they are too often meretricious, never satisfactory; and unfortunately they are all faced with plaster, and the ornaments are all of stucco. Still with all its faults and shortcomings it is a noble street, and to Nash the credit is undoubtedly due of having given this impetus to the improvement of English street architecture. Of the public buildings in Regent Street, some were designed by other architects, but the positions and general character of all were arranged by Nash, and with a special reference to the production of scenic effect, a purpose always kept in view by him, and one to which he sometimes sacrificed higher objects. Regent's Park was laid out by Nash as well as Regent Street, and the terraces bordering the park were, with one exception, designed by him. The Regent's Canal was another work in which Nash had an important share, and to the portion of it in the vicinity of the Regent's Park he gave an ornamental character in order that it might contribute to the picturesqueness of the park. Regent Street and Park were constructed by Nash during the years 1813-26. Whilst these were in progress he had been engaged on many other important works. The prince regent, with whom he was a great favourite, had employed him to build the fantastic pile known as the Pavilion, Brighton; and when the prince became king, Nash was directed to make designs for a new palace on the site of Buckingham House. This building was unfinished at the death of the king, was neglected by his successor, and only com-
